This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale
by Assassin master ezio 91
Summary: When civil war tears their home apart, a group of survivors, trapped in the besieged city, struggle to survive. Can they pull together and survive, despite their differing views and personalities, causing friction, especially in deciding what to prioritize for survival. But with an innocent coming into their midst, things change drastically, once more pushing them to find survival.
1. Prologue

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Prologue of a novelization of sorts for This War of Mine, while not specifically based on any actual playthrough, it draws elements from as many variations as possible, anyway, as this is the prologue, it just sets the scene for what has happened, hope you enjoy it. Re-write of my previous attempt as I had a new idea to hopefully make things better. Mainly as it's going to involve a self-insert, plus an OC from Jadey97.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War or Mine or it's characters.

**Prologue**

The country of Graznavia, in Eastern Europe, was locked in a brutal civil war. A war that had caused much destabilization for the country, to the extent that in some places, currency no longer had any value with the banks being closed at the onset of the war and all trade was now conducted via barter.

There were two opposing forces, the first group was the government soldiers, supported by the current administration and the other a rebel force that stood against the government, calling themselves the Vyseni Liberation Uprising. Any international aid or peace keeping mission was being held back due to the building savagery of the war as both sides fought harder and harder, causing more issues, especially for the innocent civilians who had been caught in the middle, many of them being considered legitimate targets, simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Especially due to the possible nationalistic nature of the conflict, with various territorial disputes and feelings of oppression with the ethnic minority Vyseni feeling they were being victimized by the Grazni, the inhabitants of Graznavia. There had been many cases of massacres of innocent civilians, simply due to both groups speaking different languages causing misunderstandings. The most recent place affected by this war was the city of Pogoren, the capital of Graznavia.

At first, the people of Pogoren did not think the situation would escalate to the level it did, and continued doing their day-to-day tasks, working and attending school and so on. Even while there were protests and news of fighting in other parts of the country, including a group of protesters storming the capital and attempted to burn down City Hall.

Civil disorders spread rapidly after that and a neighbouring city called Gravia ended up being attacked by the Graznavian government army, calling it a rebel base and bombed the settlement before launching an indiscriminate attack on what rebels their were and even innocent civilians. Leading to what survivors there were, fleeing desperately to the nearest city, Pogoren.

Heavy battles followed this around the outskirts until Pogoren was finally dragged violently into the war. Government and Rebel forces clashed and during the initial fighting, groups of rebels began to act questionably, as several civilians were murdered by them, just for 'looking at them funny, as a precaution.' All apparently due to the fighting in the streets making it difficult to identify the enemy.

Other crimes known to have been committed by the rebels included attacks on more well-off families simple to take their belongings for trade, some of said families even being murdered simply for their belongings. Unfortunately for the civilians, the soldiers were hardly any better, resulting in more war crimes, along with several non-decisive battles until finally, the borders between the two forces were drawn.

The Graznavian army encircled the city and now laid siege to it, shelling the city and sometimes engaging in direct conflict with the trapped rebel forces. While there had been refugee convoys and buses enabling civilians to escape, not everybody made it out. So there were several innocent civilians trapped in the city, trying to avoid the shelling and attacks by the army.

But once again, the rebels were hardly any better, several of them would round up groups of people and interrogate them to identify government sympathizers, yet even those that weren't were executed, for other reasons, wrong ones, anyway. Now with supplies and food scarce, those trapped in the city were forced into desperate situations and doing whatever they had to do to survive, resulting in looters and bandits roaming the streets, certain locations had been fully occupied by rebel or government forces.

Yet even within this chaos there was still hope amongst some of the people. Attempting to escape the carnage, two people had suddenly found themselves entering each other's lives as they all found themselves taking shelter in the same building. It did not take them long to decide on their plan, they would stick together and try to survive this war, they could only hope that they would make it through alive.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	2. Day 1: Introductions

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 1 of my This War of Mine story, introduces the OC characters, based on myself and fellow writer Jadey97, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Jadey97: Well, here we go :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 1: Introductions**

Fighting to catch their breath as they stood within the hallway of the mostly intact but bombed out house. They had just managed to escape the conflict of the war that had nearly caught them, met by chance right outside the building they were currently in and now they finally recovered and looked around, before turning their gazes towards each other.

The first of the two figures was a young man of twenty, he was just above medium height with short dark red hair and hazel eyes, he also had fair skin and a toned build, wearing glasses and simple but worn out clothes.

The other figure was a woman of twenty-three, she was of average height with a slender build, pale with long brunette hair, green eyes.

Finally she gave a soft, shy smile and spoke.

"Um, are you alright?"

The young man nodded. "Yeah, I...I'm fine, you?"

She nodded too. "Yeah, um, I'm, I'm Mara, what's your name?"

"Niko. Are, are you okay?"

She nodded. "I'm fine, this...what are we going to do?"

Niko sighed, he wasn't sure of that himself. He took a moment to look around the ruined building they were in. Just outside he could hear the sounds of conflict, the gunfire and the explosions. He sighed, this wasn't looking good yet it seemed relatively safe here.

Finally, he sighed.

"Um, Mara, I know we hardly know each other but, but I think it would be best if we stick together for now, after all that's happened." He remarked. "We should probably stay here for now, take a look around and see what's here."

Mara nodded. "Yeah, you're right, let's, let's see if there's anything we can use, it would probably be best if we stay here for the night maybe?"

Niko nodded too, agreeing and so they split up and began looking around the building, looking for anything useful. When they finally gathered around what appeared to be a workbench of sorts. They had gathered several materials and also managed to surprisingly find some food which they were able to store in a nearby fridge which seemed to actually be working on what little electricity remained in the building. They found water that they could store too and even some bandages.

"Wow, this is all..." Mara whispered.

Niko nodded. "We, we could use this stuff, look, look at this bench, these documents, plans of some sort, things that can be made...with these things here."

That instantly gave them the same idea and they made up their mind, it was looking more and more now like this was going to be a shelter for them, rather than a temporary stop. Their search had found no other furniture but a single chair, there was also several mounds of rubble which blocked their progress and a few locked doors and cabinets.

They had found lock picks and used them to open the doors and cabinets they could get to and now, using the plans they had found they were able to get another chair made, as well as a couple of beds which they set up and finally, using some of what they had left, a radio that would allow them to hear what was going on the city.

Taking a moment to listen to the radio and learn what they could they found only five working radio stations, two of them provided them with music, a handy distraction for their bleak situation. Those stations were Classical Masterpieces which naturally played classical music and Radio Vysena, offering other types of music. Weather FM provided them with the current weather and temperature, they listened carefully.

"The upcoming days should still be nice and warm. Perfect for a stroll in the park!"

The radio station City Today contained a warning report. "The rebel leader instructed us to warn the listeners not to cross the front line. Failure to comply could result in death."

The final radio station was Radio One, an international radio station that seemed focused on the war developments.

They listen to this report with concern. "Despite desperate counter-attack by the rebels trying to lift the siege of Pogoren, the city remains cut off. Government forces do not allow any aid to reach the city, claiming it would end up in rebel hands."

Hearing this the two survivors shared a worried look and then, finally, sat down in the chairs, both contemplating, finally Mara spoke.

"We need to be careful, if we are going to stay here, we can't just sit around doing nothing, but we don't have enough supplies." She paused. "It's too dangerous to go out right now, but after nightfall, things should calm down..."

Niko agreed. "Yeah, alright, so one of us needs to go out scavenging at night while the other stays here...if it's alright with you, I'll go tonight."

Mara smiled. "Sure, I'll manage, then I'll go tomorrow night."

With that they could only wait for nightfall.

As they sat, waiting, Niko looked over the various designs that they had found.

"Whoever lived here before must've been a carpenter or something...or someone who knew what was needed to survive." He commented.

Mara then found something else. "Looks like it, here, it's a map of the city, we could use this to figure out where to go."

"Sounds good to me."

With that Niko examined it, trying to determine his location, finally settling on an Abandoned Cabin not too far away, hoping it still had things worth salvaging. Then, after another pause, Niko sighed.

"So, what do we down until nightfall?"

"It's not too far off now." Mara said. "We...maybe we should talk, get to know each other a little better. I mean, not everything just, what we're comfortable with."

Niko considered that before shrugging. "Sure, well...I had a pretty simple life here, to be honest, I was a Photography student at the local college. I wasn't really the life and soul of the party I'll admit but I…I had friends. About half of them are gone now, they were killed when the fighting started. Thankfully the other half made it out of the city with the other refugees. Who knows if I'll ever see them again though."

Mara bit her lip. "I didn't have much of a life before. Worked until my papa passed away. Cancer took him. I had enough saved to go to school for a while. I wanted to be an elementary school teacher. I guess that won't happen now."

They lapsed into silence, it was clear there was more to their stories, but neither felt comfortable talking about it more just now, so they just waited until nightfall, after which Mara went to sleep in one of the beds and Niko left, heading for the abandoned cottage.

* * *

Arriving at the cottage, Niko took note of a few piles outside which he quickly checked finding a few useful items in them. He decided not to just grab everything he saw, even though he did manage to find more wood and components which would be useful. He could only carry a limited amount and needed to prioritise. Unable to get the door open he used a nearby ladder to enter what looked like a basement, climbing another to actually get into the house.

He saw why the door wouldn't open. A simple wooden barricade was blocking it. Hurrying over he managed to tear it down, making it easier for him to get in and out later. Searching a bit more revealed more piles of potentially useful materials, a note from the previous owner who apparently buried a gun out front, deciding to check it out, knowing that despite his distaste for guns, one might be necessary. What he found was a broken pistol along with a few repair tools.

Finally taking note of a large rubble pile and a locked door which he could not get past yet, he checked the fridge and found a number of water bottles, food and vegetables, certainly useful things. He was also pleased to find more bandages too. Grabbing a few other useful parts, electronic or otherwise to make sure he had everything he could carry.

Satisfied there was nothing more he could do, he began hurrying to make his way back to the shelter, knowing that if he wasn't back by sunrise things would get much more difficult, due to conflict escalating again.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	3. Day 2: Preparations

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 2 of my This War of Mine novelization, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, yeah.  
Jadey97: Thanks, glad you like it :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 2: Preparations**

Niko was wary as he entered the shelter that morning, as the sun was rising.

"Mara?" He called out softly.

Almost at once he saw her approaching from where they had set up one of the beds they had built.

"Niko, you made it back." She said at once. "Are you okay, it…?"

He nodded. "It's fine Mara, there was no danger and I got back before the fighting got too intense."

He paused and then pulled off his backpack, before showing her the contents.

"Here, look what I managed to get."

Mara smiled as she examined everything. "Wow, this is...this is great, we can make some more stuff now, keep some supplies...we've finally got food, water..."

"We'll likely need more." Niko remarked. "But yeah, we can but some of this stuff to use...best to ration things, especially our food and water however."

As he said that their stomach's growled, but they both acknowledged Niko's words and accepted things, ignoring their hunger. Instead they focused on using some of the materials Niko brought back, along with what they had left, they managed to construct a crude stove and a new workshop, focused more on metals that would allow them to make useful tools and weapons. They put it to immediate use, crafting a crowbar and a shovel.

After checking over what they had made and what they had left Mara sighed.

"So, what now...There were those rubble piles and locked doors in here we couldn't get through."

Niko agreed. "Yeah, sounds good to me, let's go, we'll work out way through, try and make sure we don't leave anything unturned."

So, working together they began making their way around the shelter to clean up the rubble piles and gather any other supplies they could find in the newly accessed areas of their shelter.

"Alright, I think we've cleaned out the shelter, everything else is gonna have to come from outside." Mara said after they finished.

They had gathered everything together again and quickly checked what they had and knew what they needed to try and get a hold of on their next scavenging trip. Sitting down and checking the radio, noting not much new that would catch their attention, Niko pulled out the map to show Mara.

"Alright, we need to figure out what we're going to do tonight..." Niko explained.

Mara nodded. "I'll go tonight, you get some sleep."

Niko smiled lightly. "Right; okay. Well, this is our shelter here, and this is where I went last night, it's an old abandoned cottage."

He pointed the places out on the map before pointing to another location.

"This is another cottage, it was shelled along with the neighbourhood...but there should still be stuff there." He continued. "So, it's up to you, if you wanna go there, or go back to the abandoned cottage, there's still stuff left, I wasn't able to carry everything."

Mara took the map and made up her mind. "I'll go to the shelled cottage, I'll head out as soon as it's time."

So it was they waited and bided their time until the sun set and the fighting began to die down, allowing Mara to leave the shelter and take her chance scavenging.

* * *

Arriving at the cottage Mara stopped for a moment, taking in the sight before it.

'_The building is still on fire, is it...really safe to go on...' _She wondered. _'I, I have to, if I'm to find anything.'_

So she began to make her way towards the door, looking around for anything that would be useful. As she did so she looked around the shelled neighbourhood and sighed sadly.

'_It's such a depressing sight, this whole place was destroyed, still burning...it looks so haunting, like a ghost town. I wonder if the people here managed to escape. Or...or were they...' _She continued to reflect, shuddering at the last part.

Trying to push the thoughts away she opened the door and slipped inside. Yet all the same, she couldn't help herself as her memories began to overcome her.

She recalled another time she'd seen such devastation. _'It's like, like back home, my own neighbourhood, before I escaped, as I was escaping...it was just, destroyed, so much of it was...it's gone now...'_

Once again she was finding herself wondering and questioning the whole reason for the war, for the violence and destruction, the senseless destroying of life it inflicted, the way it changed and ruined people, their personalities and mindsets. As she considered that she realized where such thoughts would take her and tried to focus on the scavenging. She found however that there were obstacles, more rubble piles and locked doors.

"Urgh...now what am I…?" She wondered aloud before shaking her head. _'This, this place is...are they...'_

She looked around, somewhat worried.

She was scared that this place wasn't as empty or safe as it appeared, mainly she knew there were a number of desperate people out in the city, bandits and thieves who could attack her.

But they paled in comparison to her chief worry. _'I hope _he's _not out there, looking for me, trying to force me back with him...I...I'll never be his little plaything again, I'd sooner die.'_

Shuddering again she focused on her scavenging, finally finding and gathering anything she thought could be useful, that was within her capabilities to carry.

All the same her mind wouldn't leave her alone. _'I...I don't understand, why am I fighting, I don't really have much reason to keep going...I guess, I guess papa would want me to do so...to keep fighting, but what am I even fighting for?'_

Unsure and still consumed by her worries, Mara made sure she had everything she could take and, determined to make it back before sunrise, finally left the area, heading back for the shelter and the relative safety it provided.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	4. Day 3: A New Face

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 3 of my story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Jadey97: Yes indeed, well, we can only wait and see.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, glad you're enjoyed it, well, not really, not yet anyway.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 3: A New Face**

Returning to the shelter Mara opened the door and stepped inside cautiously. Despite her uncertainty, her worries about being followed, she had made it back without any trouble. The fighting hadn't started back up in it's usual intensity just yet and things seemed alright at the shelter. But she couldn't be sure without first knowing what had happened to her fellow survivor.

"Niko?" She called out carefully.

To her relief he emerged from upstairs, looking reasonably rested and unharmed.

"You made it back, good." He said happily. "We, were you alright?"

Mara nodded. "Yeah, I felt a little...uneasy, but, I made it and everything's alright now, I got some good stuff too."

They checked over what she had brought with them and both smiled, glad for her success as well as her safety.

"So, think we can make anything else with this?" Mara asked.

Checking the plans they had found, Niko considered. "We could turn a few of those pieces of wood, maybe the components too, into fuel for the stove, we need food and should try to eat today at least. We could maybe make this rainwater collector too. As well as some filters to put it to good use."

Mara nodded slowly, agreeing with Niko and so, gathering what they needed, Niko got to work crafting the rainwater collector while Mara began fixing up some food for them.

Once Niko was finished constructing the collector, he joined Mara who was seated at the chairs now, they had their good and began eating.

"I did the best I could with what we had...knowing we had to preserve as much as we can." She explained.

Niko just nodded. "I understand, it's good. We need to ration as much as possible. Still, it does taste good."

Mara smiled at that and soon they had finished their meals and quickly cleaned up the dishes and Mara thought for a moment.

"So, what do we do now, I mean..." She began. "Are we going scavenging tonight, or do we need to wait."

Niko was about to reply but then suddenly there was a hammering at the door.

"Open up, I know you're in there, please!" A female voice cried out.

They both leapt to their feet, wary and sharing a worried look.

Then the female voice cried out again. "Please, I'm injured, I need help!"

They made their way forwards cautiously until they reached the door and, after a pause, Niko opened the door and they finally beheld the figure at their doorstep. The figure was a teenage girl, around sixteen, sixteen at the most, of medium height and despite the bulky clothing, was quite skinny, she had long dirty blonde hair pulled into a ponytail and icy blue eyes as well as being rather pale and there were notable scars on her face.

"Who are you?" Niko queried worriedly.

She replied at once. "Arica, now please, I'm bleeding here."

It was then they saw the blood coming from her shoulder as she clutched it with one hand.

They both reacted at once, ushering Arica inside and to one of the chairs, letting her sit down.

"Alright, here..." Mara said, having grabbed the bandages and what medical supplies they had.

Niko nodded. "Right, we'll...it'll be best to clean up your wound as best we can, then get your jacket off so we can work better."

Arica nodded. "Yeah, okay, just do it...urgh, fuck..."

"How did this happen?" Mara asked as they worked.

Arica did not reply at first, not until her jacket was off and her wound being treated closer and Niko began bandaging it, with pressure being applied to help staunch the bleeding and help the wound close quicker.

She sighed. "Bandits, I...I was trying to work a deal with them, got them what they wanted, but they wouldn't return the favour, tried to...you know."

Niko grimaced and Mara hissed, knowing exactly what Arica meant, the bandits tried to assault her.

"I fought them off and one of them stuck me with a knife..." Arica finished. "This one."

She surprised them by producing the knife and setting it on the table next to her.

"So, what's the story with you two?" She asked as her wound was finally bandaged.

"We found this place a few days ago, decided to stay here as a shelter, try to keep ourselves alive, scavenging for anything we can get to help us." Mara explained as she handed Arica her jacket again. "Here, I cleaned up the blood as best I could."

Arica took the jacket and pulled it back on, zipping it up and seemed satisfied.

"So, a shelter for survival huh, could um…?" Arica began looking anxious. "Could I maybe stay with you guys?"

Niko bit his lip. "Well, it is tricky just for the two of us. But an extra pair of hands could help, what's your story?"

Arica was quiet for a moment.

Finally she shrugged, wincing at little as she did so, and then replied.

"I'm a simple girl from the hood and I know life. Street raised me more than my father did. That old sot beat me whenever he felt like it and knew how to make it hurt. That's all over now, he bit the dust in the first days of the war. I've been a cat burglar since I turned 14, you know how it is. I'm better at it than anyone you know and I can sneak like a fox. You'd be a fool kicking me out."

Mara and Niko shared a look and then both smiled.

"Alright, I don't see why you can't stay." Niko said.

Mara nodded. "Yeah, after what you've just been through, I'd hate you to be stuck out there..."

She shuddered at that. Arica gave a weak smile and then sighed as she searched her pockets.

"Urgh, shit." She muttered; then, seeing their faces she revealed. "I've lost my cigarettes."

They took this on board, Arica was a smoker, something with Mara was a little shocked by, due to Arica being no older than sixteen. Trying to put those concerns aside they turned the conversation turned to scavenging that night with Arica volunteering to prove herself by going out that night.

She reacted in fear however when there was a knock at the door. But thankfully, after checking it carefully, it turned out to be a man named Franko who had things to trade with them, enabling them to get some more food for a reasonable deal, much to their delight.

As it was, there was one less worry on Arica's mind as she went scavenging that night.

* * *

That night, as she approached the shelled school looking up at the building with sadness in her eyes.

'_I...I heard they were still having classes when the shelling started...those poor kids.' _She thought worriedly.

Shaking her head she began to explore, but soon found herself facing unexpected obstacles, while she was able to find a few things to collect, electrical parts and components mainly. But with mounds of rubble, a door that was blocked from the other side, she had to make use of the shovel Niko had convinced her to take with her.

Thankfully it a made quick work of the rubble piles with little effort and without the danger of reopening her wound. She continued to search and while she found a few more useful supplies, before finally finding something that would certainly be useful to her personally.

'_Fuck yeah, that's what I'm talking about...' _She thought to her delight.

Pocketing the cigarettes she found she checked a few more places and grabbed what she could and, once sure that she had everything she could carry she hurried to get away, determined to reach the shelter before the sun rose.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	5. Day 4: Raid

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Next chapter of my This War of Mine novelization, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Jadey97: Thanks yeah, glad you enjoyed it :)  
Boris Yeltsin: Thanks.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 4: Raid**

Returning to the shelter, Arica was wary, but to her relief, she spotted Niko and Mara straight away, they were busy checking their supplies and looked up when she entered.

"Hey, I'm back, everything went well...there's still quite a bit left at that school though." She said.

Niko nodded. "The places we visited still have things too, we'll need to keep a hold of that shovel, maybe get some lock picks, or get a crowbar."

Mara thought for a moment. "Make and keep the crowbar here and only take it if we need it, best use the lock picks we got off Franko first."

The others agreed and then thought for a moment.

"Alright, I'll go out tonight." Niko said at last. "I'll check the school again to pick up some of the stuff still there."

As he said that, Arica added the supplies she had gathered to the rest and they checked over them and the designs they had picked up. Making use of the supplies they had they were able to upgrade their stove and both workshops and make a crowbar that they knew they would be able to use if necessary. They got to work making a few more things, a few more filters for the rainwater collector, putting one to use and, while waiting, more fuel for the stove and also constructing another more chairs and another bed, just in case.

They looked over some of the designs and Arica bit her lip.

"I know we have other priorities but these...herbal gardens and workshops, we could put them to use..." She said.

Mara checked the designs and pondered for a moment. "Hmmm, they could be useful, I mean...if we have the materials we could make cigarettes for you, and any spares, we could sell to traders for stuff. We can also make medicines with them."

Arica smiled softly at that, relieved to note there was no judgement in Mara's tone. With the work they had been doing taking longer than they thought, especially the rainwater collector gathering the water through the filter and giving them enough for four bottles of fresh water which they stored carefully. Taking a moment to relax and waiting for the sun to set so Niko could go scavenging, they listened to the radio for any news or updates. As they did so, Mara bit her lip and thought for a moment.

"Maybe we should...talk a bit, you know, we did talk about ourselves a bit, maybe we could talk about that some more?" She queried.

"Sounds good to me." Niko said.

Arica shifted. "I...I guess so, you first."

They both shared a look at that and Niko gave a small smile.

He shrugged. "Not much to say really. My, my family, they made it out too. I just, wasn't lucky enough to be with them when they did."

Mara sighed. "Sometimes I wish I could have joined my papa in heaven. But I know that he would want me to keep going. To fight. What do I have to fight for though?"

They were quiet at that, unsure what to say.

"I told you about my old man, I hated that asshole... But war does things to people. That night, when the bombs fell on Gravia, something changed. What he did... I'll never forget it. You heard what they did in Gravia, right?" Arica finally revealed.

They nodded, knowing full well what she meant, Gravia was one of the worst city's hit by the war. After that they decided not to speak anymore, waiting until finally, Niko left for the night, to begin scavenging.

* * *

Arriving at the shelled school as Arica had the night before, Niko couldn't help but feel the pang of sadness as he looked up at the building. He recalled, just as she had, that classes were being held when the shelling began. He recalled how he had been stuck at his college when the shelling started.

'_I...God, I still remember...Fuck, no, not the time.' _He thought, admonishing himself. _'I need to make sure I find what we need.'_

So he began to make his way through the ruins of the school, digging through any piles of rubble he came across. He searched for any useful supplies that Arica hadn't been able to carry back the previous night. He found a fair few, but didn't want to yet leave. He had to make sure he could find anything else, something useful and in the meantime, he considered the current situation for them all.

He sighed. _'I'm lucky I ran into Mara and it's lucky that Arica reached us, they're both strong and we can __all help each other.'_

He knew they were capable of taking care of themselves and hoped that they would all be able to aid each other enough to get through this war and survive. Making sure he had everything he needed, Niko took one last look around and, satisfied, he turned and left the shelled school, heading back to the shelter, done scavenging for the night.

* * *

Little did Niko know, all was not well at the shelter. Mara and Arica had been sleeping soundly when it happened. There was a loud noise which woke both young women up. They were out of their beds instantly, but it was no use. The moment they were on their feet they saw the danger. They were trapped, the door had been forced open, four men, masks covering their faces, armed with handguns, stood there, all aiming the guns at the two women.

"Well, well, what have we here..." One remarked. "Hello there ladies, I wouldn't try anything stupid if you want to live."

Arica growled but, with the guns trained on them, neither she nor Mara could do anything but do as they were told. Held under gunpoint, they were down on their knees, hands on their heads as two of the men guarded them. The other two were ransacking the shelter. It was then Arica realized something terrifying.

'_Shit, those guys are the...oh fuck...' _Her thoughts raced as she tried not to react.

It was the same bandits that had attacked her earlier, that had stabbed her in the shoulder. She began to fear if they recognized her. She soon learned the truth of that, when the other two men returned, with many of the supplies both women and Niko had worked hard to gather.

"Wait, please, we need..." Mara began.

But the gun was then thrust in her face. "Shut it, bitch, think we care."

It was then suddenly, Arica screamed, Mara looked up. Two of the men had grabbed and restrained Arica, pulled her away towards another part of the room, next to one of the tables. The third man smirked.

"Well, well, who would've thought, this is the bitch that failed to pay us earlier." He remarked. "Well, she can pay now, right boys?"

The others all laughed and Arica panicked, crying out again, Mara could only watch in horror, as the man began trying to force Arica's jeans down.

Mara realized right away they were going to rape her, she couldn't let that happen. She looked around quickly, suddenly seeing a chance. For she noticed a mistake the bandits had made, all four guns still had the safety catches on. Grabbing her chance and reacting, Mara grabbed and lashed out with the crowbar on the table next to her.

The man in front of her cried out as he hit the ground, dropping the gun. Jumping back, the man who was trying to undress Arica turned to her, only to also receive a crowbar blow, dropping his gun as he fell. One of the two men holding Arica growled and tried to go after Mara.

But then Arica used her now free hand to grab the knife from the nearby table and stab the last man in the shoulder, again making him drop his gun. Seeing this the four men cut their losses and fled, leaving three guns behind.

Dropping the knife, Arica staggered back and sank down to the floor, almost hyperventilating. Putting the crowbar down, Mara approached her.

"Arica, are you, can I..."

Arica trembled. "I..They, they..."

Mara sat down next to her and gently hugged her. Arica flinched but then relaxed as Mara spoke softly, gently, trying to soothe the younger woman.

"It's gonna be okay, you'll be fine...you, you're lucky they didn't..." Mara began. "Listen, you get that sort of situation again, stab him where it hurts huh?"

Arica managed a soft chuckle at that, but then shook her head. "How do you even know."

Mara sighed. "I...I've experienced it...my former partner...Eli."

Arica started at that, staring in horror at Mara, who just shook her head. Taking time to calm down, try to recover, they did their best to get secure the shelter and supplies again, before trying to get even a fitful sleep for what remained of the night.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	6. Day 5: A True Innocent

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Next chapter of my novelization, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Jadey97: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, yeah. You are just going to love this chapter, I know it :)  
Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, yeah well, we can only wait and see.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 5: A True Innocent**

Returning to the shelter that morning, Niko was startled when he heard a short cry and then spotted Arica standing, knife drawn, as well as Mara, wary. But then she saw him Mara relaxed.

"Arica, it's okay, it's just Niko." She said quickly.

Arica did not relax however, although she did straighten up, putting the knife aside.

He looked around. "What the hell is going on?"

"Fucking...those, fuckers that attacked..." Arica remarked, but was unable to finish.

Mara gently consoled her before turning to Niko and continuing for her.

"The men who attacked her before, they broke in, tried to steal our stuff and when they recognize Arica they tried to...to take advantage of her. We managed to chase them off however." She paused and then added. "They left these behind, they weren't smart enough to use them."

It was then she gestured to the table and Niko noticed the guns, three of them.

He smiled lightly as he examined them. "Clearly not, apart from having the safety still on, all of them work perfectly. Guess that's one each, in case we need them."

"We will, it's obvious. Those fuckers are gone but, but who knows what..." Arica replied; her voice still shaking.

Niko and Mara knew all too well what Arica meant. There could be other attacks.

Acting on impulse, Niko walked over to the workshop and began looking through the various designs.

"What are you looking for?" Arica snapped.

Shaking his head Niko replied. "Something we can use to protect ourselves, anything that will help..."

Mara bit her lip. "We need to eat, maybe we should."

"Got it." Niko said suddenly. "These should help, a bit more work on the workshop and then we can work on these."

"What are they?" Arica asked.

Niko showed them the designs. "We can board up the holes in the walls, less entry points for intruders, then it's just a matter of having someone guard the door, until we can get it reinforced."

Arica sighed. "But our supplies, I don't think we have enough, not for all of this."

"Should be just enough to upgrade the workshop at least." Niko remarked. "Might as well make a start."

So he got to work. Mara pondered for a moment, before heading up to the kitchen, deciding to start working on food for them. She looked over the food available to them and considered her options.

"Need some help?"

She jumped, startled and turned to see Arica standing there.

"How did you…?"

Arica smiled. "I told you, I'm as quiet as a fox."

Mara laughed lightly. But then, before either of them could say anything, there was a frantic knock at the door.

Startled they shared a worried look as Niko came upstairs, the same look on his face. Finally they moved to the door, standing ready to react just in case. Opening the door they saw those who had been knocking. It was a tall young man in his late twenties, he had black hair and eyes as well as a scruffy black beard and moustache.

He was looking worried, frantic and then they realized he wasn't alone, for standing there, next to him, looking up with sweet, sad brown eyes, was a boy of around ten, with choppy brown hair hidden under a cap with ear flaps, fair skin and scars on his face, he was also notably skinny, almost worryingly so.

"Thank heavens! I'm Daniel, and this is Misha, my neighbors' kid." The man explained quickly. "Could you take care of him for a few days? I promised him I'd find his parents and I won't risk sneaking out of the city with a child in tow."

Needless to say, the proposition startled them, but then, looking at Misha's frightened face, Mara spoke up.

"Of course we will, right?"

Niko nodded and Arica shrugged. They stepped back as Daniel turned to Misha, kneeling down.

"Okay, I'm gonna go and look for your parents now, okay." He told him. "You need to stay with these people."

Misha's lip quivered. "I'm scared."

Daniel gently put a reassuring hand on the boys shoulder. "It'll be alright, you'll see, these are good people, they'll take care of you."

With that Daniel slowly left. Misha stood, trembling still scared and anxious.

Seeing this Mara stepped forwards, noting how thin and terrified the poor boy was.

"We were just about to eat." She said kindly. "Come on, you look hungry."

She gently ushered him inside; he remained anxious, somewhat closed off but allowed himself to be led inside and to the kitchen. Watching them go, Arica turned to Niko.

"This could complicate things...we're gonna need to either ration more, or try and grab more food supplies when we scavenge." She remarked. "Still, I'm glad Mara was so quick to agree...poor kid, a true victim of war, a true innocent."

Niko nodded. "You're right...we just need to be ready. Make any sacrifices necessary."

With that agreement they made their way to the kitchen too. When they arrived Mara had made the food for them all and they all soon began to eat. Misha was hesitant, still clearly afraid.

"It's okay Misha." Mara said softly. "Here, eat up, you'll feel better. Then I'll try and fix things up for you for tonight. If you have anything with you we can find somewhere safe to put it."

The kindness in her voice, as well as her gentle motherly air seemed to break through to Misha, and he reacted. Looking up he finally made eye contact with her and managed a tremulous smile.

"Th-Thank you." He said at last.

Finally he sat by Mara and began to eat, clearly seeking comfort from her, now that she was able to get him out of his shell a bit. Niko and Arica watched as they ate, hopeful that maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all, especially with Mara helping Misha settle right in.

* * *

It was some time later, Arica stood out the back of the shelter, in the small garden that was now overgrown with weeds. She exhaled softly, expelling the smoke she had just inhaled from her cigarette.

'_Urgh, God...was needing this...' _She thought to herself. _'Help calm myself down before I go out scavenging tonight.'_

It had all been planned out, she was going to scavenge at a nearby ruined block of flats. Shaking her head she took a final drag of her cigarette before stamping it out and exhaling. Just then the door opened and Niko called out.

"Arica, you need to hear this."

Confused she entered the shelter and followed him until they were stood by the radio. She listened as the tinny voice of the announcer spoke.

"Beware of bands of looters roaming the city. It's best to lock your doors and stay inside."

"Things are getting more dangerous...we need to prioritize protecting this place." Niko explained. "We need to get materials that'll help us with our defences."

Arica nodded, it was getting much more complicated, that was for sure. All they could do now was wait for nightfall and hope for the best while she went out to seek supplies.

* * *

Arriving at the ruined flats Arica immediately began looking around, trying to find anything that could help her and the others in securing their shelter. Outside there was only a few piles of rubble, within which she was able to find some planks of wood that could help, once she managed to fit them into the backpack. She finally clambered over the pile of rubble to get inside and began looking around. Something caught her eye, something that left her rather troubled.

'_The baby carriage isn't empty. A few objects lie scattered inside; a rattle, a smiling red crab, well worn by baby teeth, a feeding bottle half-full of congealed mass that was probably a baby formula. Someone must have left in a terrible rush...or maybe didn't need them anymore.' _She thought, disturbed by her own thoughts.

Shaking her head and trying to put the thoughts out of her mind Arica resumed her search, only to encounter some unexpected obstacles, mainly in regards to doorways covered with metal grating. She'd need a saw blade to get through them. So, turning her attention elsewhere she continued to scavenge until she couldn't carry anymore, and then, hoping it would be enough to at least make a start, she hurried to leave the area and get back to the shelter, especially as now, apparently, there would be roaming gangs to watch out for, making journeys much more difficult.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	7. Day 6: Outbreak of Crime

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 6 of my This War of Mine story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, yeah, well...afraid there's no dialogue, it's a very visual game.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Jadey97: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, yeah, he's sweet, well, here we go :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 6: Outbreak of Crime**

Arica swallowed nervously as she stepped into the shelter again, Niko was already up and turned quickly, crowbar in hand when she entered.

"Arica." He sighed in relief, lowering the weapon.

She nodded, tense, she had to change her route three times when she spotted roving groups of raiders.

"Was everything okay here?" She asked.

Niko nodded. "Yeah, luckily things were alright."

Arica nodded in relief, glad that they had made it safely through the night, even though the war was still raging they had managed to make their shelter a small haven and they needed to keep it safe.

"So, um...what should we do now?" She asked.

Niko turned. "Let's check the radio, see what we can hear."

Arica nodded and they did so, listening as the news reports came in. The weather reports hinted at the days ahead being cooler, but nothing major. But it was clear the crime wave had truly began and there were several warnings.

"We'll need to look into this." Niko remarked. "We need to figure out how to protect this place, and also to get some food, water and such for this place."

Arica sighed. "We'll need weapons too, to protect ourselves."

"What about the guns we got?"

They turned to see Mara standing there, looking at them anxiously.

She sighed and moved closer.

"Sorry, I just, I overheard...We have so much to protect now and, and Misha..." She explained.

Niko and Arica shared a look, nodding; they knew Mara was right. They had to also consider Misha's safety, he was just a child after all.

"Where is Misha?" Niko asked.

Mara gestured back towards the beds. "I let him sleep a little longer. So?"

Arica shook her head. "I'm afraid that, while the safety issue has been dealt with and we have ammo...turns out there was a problem with the guns after all, we need to repair them if we want to use them."

"We need to upgrade this work bench too and the others. Best do what we can with what we've got, in terms of supplies." Niko remarked.

The two ladies nodded in agreement, while also trying to find any other possible weapons. They found two knifes, a shovel and a crowbar, but beyond that, nothing much stood out. So they focused on building and upgrading, trying to increase security at the shelter.

"We'll need to try and board up the holes in the walls." Niko said.

Now awake and showing interesting insight, Misha asked. "What about the door, they could come in through there?"

Mara smiled. "We'll fix that, once we get everything fixed up we can get a reinforced door and set up an alarm system."

"We don't have enough stuff to do that though, not all of it." Arica interjected.

She was right, so they needed to try and do what they could and see what still needed to be done.

* * *

That night, making his way to the shelled cottage Mara had visited the second night.

'_I need to see if there is anything left that we can use here.' _He noted. _'We only managed to work on upgrading what we had, but now we can try and work on improving security. I just hope the weapons we have are enough to keep the others safe.'_

He thought about the others, Mara doing her best to comfort Misha during the night, it was an even scarier time for all of them, but especially so for Misha.

Niko shook his head sadly. _'That poor boy deserves better than this, a true victim of war. He should be going to school, playing with his friends and...being a kid.' _

It had affected them all, even Arica's usually hard exterior had melted around Misha and his plight. Niko shook his head; he needed to stay focused if he wanted to find anything that would be useful, if he didn't do this and failed to protect the shelter, Misha wouldn't get that chance, of that Niko was sure.

So he focused carefully, looking around as he entered the cottage, checking for anything Mara may have missed or, more likely, had been unable to carry back on her visit. He couldn't shake the nagging fears he had however and, as he pocketed some bandages, he wondered if things were truly alright back at the shelter.

* * *

At the shelter Mara was awoken by a yelp from Arica. Instantly she was up, holding Misha close to her, he too had woken at the yelp and his eyes were wide, scared.

"Mara?"

"Stay close to me Misha." She said quickly.

She clutched the crowbar in her free hand, while holding Misha close. She saw them, a group of intruders, masked and all armed. The yelp had come from Arica spotting them as they snuck in, the teenage girl was already armed with a knife and trying to fight off two of them. One approached Mara and she tensed.

"Call that bitch off." The figure said in a male voice. "And tell us where your supplies are, now!"

Mara grimaced. "Please, this..."

Then her eyes widened as the man tried to grab Misha from her.

"No, get off him!" She cried, trying to fight back.

But the man used his size to shove her back and grab Misha.

"Mara!" He screamed.

"Let him go!" Mara cried, terrified.

"Where is your stuff!" He bellowed.

Mara hesitated, hearing Arica yell again as she was disarmed and knocked to the ground. Then Misha screamed and Mara's heart leapt into her mouth as she saw the blood, Misha cried, tears spilling from his eyes as blood came from the cut left on his arm by the knife.

Luckily at that moment, one of the thugs appeared, he had found their supplies and, having grabbed what they were after, the bandits left, with Mara immediately hurrying to Misha, trying to comfort him and to try and staunch the bleeding from his cut arm.

All the while feeling horrible, she had tried to protect him and he had been so easily pulled out of her grasp.

She felt as if she had failed him.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	8. Day 7: Tragic Aftermath

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 7 of my This War of Mine story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Jadey97: Yeah :( Thanks, glad you enjoyed it :)  
Boris Yeltsin: Well, yeah, of course.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 7: Tragic Aftermath**

Niko bit his lip as he returned to the shelter warily, worried due to the reports on the radio and the various gangs he had hidden from on the way back. He knew it was getting more and more dangerous. So with some trepidation at the door of the shelter, he entered only to find the others on edge and they reacted to his entrance, weapons at the ready.

Mara jumped slightly, then realized it was him and lowered her weapon "Oh, Niko, it's just you...

Arica also sighed in relief, lowering her weapon. "Niko, thank God."

"We...we were attacked?" He asked worriedly, noting their expression and reactions.

Arica nodded and Niko sighed sadly, he had hoped it wouldn't happen, but now it had. He began to wonder at the danger when he heard the sobs and finally spotted Misha crying, Mara holding onto him, her face guilt ridden and pained.

"Misha was hurt..." She explained in a shaky voice.

Niko hissed. "God...how bad..."

Mara slowly turned Misha to his side to show Niko the wound, the cut in his arm, stroking his head all the while and shushing him as he whimpered. Niko grimaced, outraged that anyone would do something like to this a ten year old boy. He moved closer and began to examine the wound carefully.

Finally he let out a sigh of relief, noting at least one good thing.

"Yeah, looks painful." He said softly. "Luckily, it's not deep..."

Mara then explained choking up as she did so. "I tried, I...held him as close to me as I could, they pulled him out of my arms..."

"It hurts..." Misha whimpered.

Mara cradled him affectionately, speaking gently. "I'm so sorry sweetheart, I'm so sorry..."

She paused before asking. "Do we have anything I can use for it?"

"Yeah actually, found these while I was scavenging." Niko replied as he handed over the bandages.

It was then Arica, who had stepped out to check on what was stolen, returned to the room.

"Well, I've finally checked everything, they...they managed to get a few things." She informed them.

Niko sighed but nodded. "Okay, okay, let's hear it."

With that they stepped out and began to talk about what was stolen, meanwhile, Mara turned to Misha.

"Let's go clean this up and get it bandaged, that will help it, ok?" She said softly.

Misha nodded, sniffling and Mara gently sat him down and began cleaning his wound, gently shushing him when he winced in pain, whispering comforting words to keep him calm. Finally, once his wound was cleaned she bandaged it up, much the same as she and Niko had done for Arica when she first arrived at the shelter.

Finally finished she offered a comforting smile to Misha.

"There, all done."

Thank you." He replied, biting his lip as he cradled his bandages arm. "I'm sorry."

Mara was confused by those sudden words. "For what?"

"I got in the way, I just...I wish I wasn't so helpless." He replied sadly.

Mara hugged him tightly. "You didn't get in the way, not at all. And you're not helpless. Those were horrible, horrible men who thought hurting a child would give them what they wanted. I'm so sorry, I should have held on tighter to you. I promise I will keep you safe, I won't let you get hurt again."

She pulled back and gently took his hand, holding it gently and Misha smiled, relieved. It was then Niko and Arica returned.

"Okay, we can't let this happen again, especially what happened to Misha." Niko said. "So, we need to secure this place, everything else...needs to take a back seat until we secure our shelter."

Mara nodded in agreement and, while keeping an eye on Misha and helping him, they got to work, managing to improve the security of the shelter, but not everything had been covered, they were anxious about that but as the day went on they knew they had little choice and so it would require another scavenging trip to get more supplies for security. This time heading to an abandoned house in the old town district a place they had not scavenged before.

* * *

Mara took a deep breath as she readied herself.

"Do you really have to go?" Misha's voice sounded behind her, plaintive.

She turned to him, he was looking up at her, eyes wide, looking scared.

"We need supplies, sweetheart." She told him gently.

Misha shook his head. "But what if you don't come back, what if the mean people out there find and hurt you?"

She gently hugged him. "It'll be okay, I promise I will come back, trust me."

She gently kissed his forehead and, with Misha watched her go anxiously, she left the shelter and quickly made her way to the house, hoping to find anything useful, namely wood and components in order to finish up blocking the holes in their walls.

She just hoped the others would be okay, Misha especially, despite only knowing him a couple of days she had grown fond of the boy and had developed a rather strong maternal concern for him. Little did Mara know that her search would be fruitful and ironic, for this house was the very shelter of the bandits who had attacked them and much of what she found and carried back, had been stolen from them that previous night.

* * *

Arica still couldn't get over her surprise, that of all the people for Misha to choose for comfort with Mara being absent, the boy had chosen her. She felt awkward but did her best to soothe the boy when he latched on to her. Niko had just smiled at her and when she had frantically whispered she was no good with children, he stated that clearly wasn't true, showing how much Misha seemed to appreciate her efforts.

But then came the shout and she realized they were under attack again. She growled and quickly got out of bed, pushing the frightened Misha to hide underneath, she recovered just in time to deflect an attack by one of the bandits.

"You fuckers again." She hissed, recognizing them.

They didn't speak, just continued to try and fight, she managed to wound her attacker but in return she saw Niko fall down, clutching his leg, a knife sticking out of it. Arica yelled and quickly managed to wound another of the attackers and it was only then, with them grabbing yet more of their supplies, that the attackers fled, having launched yet another successful raid.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	9. Day 8: Another Raid

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 8 of my This War of Mine story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Yes, indeed it is.  
Jadey97: Thanks, yeah, he's doing better, Niko however :(  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 8: Another Raid**

Returning to the shelter, Mara bit her lip, fearful of what she would find inside. The moment she opened the door she heard footsteps and tensed, but then.

"Mara!"

Her eyes widened and she smiled as she saw Misha running to her, looking relieved. He immediately threw his arms around her middle and hugged tight.

"You came back!" He cried in relief.

She smiled and hugged him, kissing the top of his head. "I told you I would, everything went well, did you…?"

Misha's happy expression faded and he bit his lip. Mara instantly tensed, worried. Holding her hand Misha began to lead her through to the next room. She gasped in horror as she saw Niko, clearly wounded, Arica doing what she could to treat those wounds.

"Niko?"

They looked up and he grimaced. "Yeah, it...urgh, it was the same guys, they attacked us, stole some of our stuff..."

Arica shook her head. "Hold still Niko, let me finish this. Mara did you find any medical supplies while you were out?"

"I'm afraid not, sorry." She replied sadly.

"Then, we've got trouble." Niko muttered. "That's us all out of them now."

Arica had just finished bandaging his wound and now he stood, the seriousness of the situation becoming much clearer to them.

Finally, Niko sighed.

"Alright, we'll figure something out regarding our medical supplies, but for now...Mara, what did you find?" He asked.

She smiled and pulled off her backpack. "Here, I hope it's enough."

They checked the contents and Niko smiled. "Excellent, this is perfect. We better get started...Misha will you be alright for a while, we need to work on making this place safer."

The boy nodded and soon the trio were at work, using the materials they had, and the ones Mara had brought to start boarding up the holes in the walls, managing to make things much safer, but they still faced yet another issue.

"We still don't have enough to fix up the door." Mara noted.

Arica sighed. "We'll have to make do, for tonight at least...But..."

She tensed as there was a knock at the door but as they checked it warily, it turned out to be Franko again. They were able to only make a small trade this time, but it got them some more food, much to their relief, including canned food which they knew would keep better.

"So, what's going to happen now?" Misha asked from Mara's side.

Mara smiled. "I think we should all eat something, after what's happened, we'll need it."

The others agreed and so they managed to get a meal and began eating, as they did so, Niko pondered.

"I don't think we should scavenge tonight, it's a bit risky given what we still need to do. But I want us all here, to try and get through this, in case we're attacked again." He said at last.

The others quietly agreed with him, hoping that this would pay off for them in the long term.

* * *

Niko's suggestion turned out to be a wise one, and a smart move. For it gave them time to use the parts they had found to work on their weapons, repairing them. Which meant, when the attack came that night, they were ready.

"This is the third night!" Niko yelled as he stood ready.

Deprived of their usual entrances, the bandits had given themselves away and were trying to get in through the door.

Niko continued. "We're getting tired of this, did you really think it would last, we're ready for you, so I'd advise you to just turn around and leave."

"Your bluffs don't scare us." One of them called back. "You can't do anything and we know it!"

Mara grimaced but held Misha tightly to her. "I won't let you get hurt this time Misha, I promise."

The boy nodded, eyes wide and scared. Finally the bandits broke in and were met by the group who stood fast. The tide quickly turned when Niko fired the gun, wounding one of the attackers. Realizing their victims were indeed better armed now, the attackers fled, but not before they managed to grab one of the cans of food, the only spoils for their efforts.

The survivors meanwhile fought to catch their breath and recover, they had lost the can true, but they had repelled the attack and, more importantly, none of them had been injured.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	10. Day 9: Desperate Search

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 9 of my This War of Mine story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks and yes indeed.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Jadey97: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 9: Desperate Search**

The following morning, the group was tired but relieved that nobody was hurt and nothing, except one can of food, was stolen.

"What do we do now?" Arica asked. "We need to consider what happened and…?"

Mara bit her lip. "We were able to defend ourselves, but it was too close...too risky..."

Niko nodded. "Alright, so we need to focus on defence, we'll stay here for now, we have enough supplies to make it through for now.

"What if they come back?" Misha asked the pertinent question. "What if they try to hurt us again, they get guns and, and..."

Mara gently pulled him close. "Misha's right, we have to be very careful."

It was then Misha began looking around, hopeful, as if looking for something.

He then looked up at Mara. "Why don't you have a dog? I had a dog when I was living with my parents. Her name was Roxy and my dad gave her to me. You should get a dog. It should be big, bigger than Roxy, and with big teeth! Roxy was small because our apartment was small. But she was the best anyway. I taught her to fetch."

Mara smiled softly at that. "We don't have one I'm afraid, I know why you think it might be a good idea and it might, but..."

"It's hard enough for us to look after ourselves kid, a dog would make things even harder." Arica admitted sadly.

Misha sighed but nodded.

There was a brief moment as they all paused to consider what their next move should be, finally Mara realized.

"We...haven't fully explored this place, there are still piles or rubble we could shovel out of the way and we've got lock picks now, so we could get through those doors." She paused and a happy thought occurred. "We might find more stuff that way, it's worth a try right?"

"I'd say so, let's do it." Niko agreed.

Arica nodded and, after making sure Misha was safe, they got to work; checking the areas of their shelter they had been unable to get to before. For his part, Misha stuck with Mara and did his best not to get in the way. But just by being with Mara, the two of them felt happier.

Their search turned up a few useful items indeed and they soon had partly replenished their supplies. But given how late it now was, there was no time to start building new things or to work on anything else. Instead they sat down around the radio and, after receiving confirmation of the crime wave continuing, they paused.

"Maybe...we should talk some more?" Arica suggested. "Talk a bit more about ourselves I mean...we've all, shared our stories up to a certain point, does anyone wanna say anything else?"

There was a pause and then, suddenly, Misha spoke up.

"When will Daniel come back? He's my friend. I didn't know him so well before but he has been really nice to me since he found me. I hope he comes back soon with my parents. I miss them. I was sitting at the big table with them eating breakfast when the soldiers came and said that there was an evacuation and that we had to get to the trucks."

The others looked at each other until finally Mara spoke.

"I'm not sure Misha...What happened then?"

"My mom and dad started grabbing and packing things and I told them I had to go and get Roxy. I found her on the next street, but when we returned, everybody had gone. Daniel later said they thought that I must have already got on another truck. I fed Roxy and I had some milk and cookies, and we went to sleep." The boy revealed shocking them even more.

A moment's silence followed that.

Then Mara pulled the boy close and hugged him.

"Oh Misha that...that must've be so scary." She whispered.

He just nodded, gradually returning the hug with a small smile. In just those two short speeches, Mara realized she had learned quite a bit about Misha, such as how much he liked dogs.

She looked at the others and sighed. "My story, well...I mentioned how my father died and...Sometimes I wish I could have joined my papa in heaven. But I know that he would want me to keep going. To fight. What do I have to fight for though?"

"I think you've found the answer to that." Niko said softly, nodding to Misha.

Mara sighed and spoke again. "A bomb hit a building on my street. I remember the chaos, I remember the screaming. I only barely made it out of the panic. That was when I ran into Eli, he was leading a small group out of town, told me to come with him. I was so scared, I don't think I even answered to him, just clung to him the whole way out. I wish I would have known then..."

"This is the same Eli you told me about?" Arica hissed.

Mara nodded and they shared a worried look before Niko shook his head.

"My story, um..." He paused and then explained. "I was out on a photography assignment for the college with some of my friends when the war came here, they just started shooting, both sides, they didn't care who they hit, we were stuck in the middle. Six of us, including me, went on that assignment…only two of us came back. That was when we heard about the war reaching the city and everybody was trying to evacuate, even in the middle of all the shelling."

Arica sighed and nodded. "I was telling you about Gravia...On that night I got a shrapnel in my thigh. The army entered the city and indiscriminately started slaughtering rebels and civilians. We had to scram and I couldn't even rise from my bed. So I was just lying there, waiting for death to come. I was hoping the old drunk to save himself, not stay with me till the end. Why worry about something you can't change?"

She paused but then said nothing else, it was clear she didn't want to say anymore, yet.

* * *

That night they heard it, more shouts and crashes, the bandits had returned.

"Again, you never learn!" Niko yelled, as they all readied their weapons.

Mara meanwhile whispered. "Misha, hide under the bed."

He nodded and did so just as one of the bandits entered the building.

"You think you can play us for fools!" He yelled. "Taking our stuff and..."

He never finished for Arica had been hiding in the shadows by the door and cut his throat. She dived out of the way as the ones still outside yelled and stormed the place. The group quickly fought back, during a lull Mara realized.

"Oh...that place I scavenged, it must've been their hideout." She couldn't help her smile. "I must've taken back some of the stuff they stole from us."

Niko suppressed a laugh, appreciating the irony but trying to concentrate. It didn't take long, as it essentially became a repeat of the previous night, with the bandits fleeing with only one can of food, and thankfully nobody was injured.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	11. Day 10: Standing Firm

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 10 of my This War of Mine story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, well, not really, they have improved for them after all.  
Jadey97: Thanks, yeah, it was good, some more moments like that coming up :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 10: Standing Firm**

So it was the survivors faced the morning again and quickly checked over everything they had done so far.

"Alright, we still need to get more supplies in order to fix up the reinforced door." Arica remarked. "We lost another can of food, but we still have everything else...we managed to really hold them off well last night."

Niko nodded. "Yeah, the big question now is, what's our next step. We still can't afford to go back out and scavenge...We need to defend this place until we know it's safe."

Mara shifted nervously. "Well, we do have some fresh supplies, wood and that."

"What do you mean?" Arica asked?"

She sighed. "I...that man we killed last night, I checked his equipment before we buried him, there were supplies in his backpack. I figured we might as well use them."

"Well, given what he intended to do, that's fine with me." Arica replied.

Niko nodded slowly. "Alright...I think we should just make sure our weapons are ready and that we come up with some sort of plan...We're not gonna be able to fix up that door today, but we still need to get ready."

It was decided then, between them all that they would stick together. There definitely would not be any scavenging tonight, they needed to ready themselves for an upcoming attack and be prepared.

As she worked Mara kept a watchful eye on Misha who seemed quite aware of the importance of what was going on. He looked very sombre, something which made Mara feel sad.

'_Poor boy, he's been trough so much in such a short space of time...he's such a sweet boy.' _She thought. _'So good, well behaved, he deserves better...Daniel brought him here by himself...what happened to Roxy I wonder?'_

She quickly composed herself however as she remembered something. Niko had removed his bandages having been fully healed, Misha would surely be healed too.

"Misha, come here a minute." She said softly.

The boy did so, confused. "Mara?"

She smiled gently. "I think we can take your bandages off now."

"Oh, okay." He said, before smiling softly. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

She smiled back as she removed the bandages, although it tugged at her heart seeing the jagged scar left behind by the wound.

"There." She said softly.

Misha thought for a moment. "Those scary men are gonna come again tonight, aren't they?"

"Yes Misha, they are." She replied, knowing it was best to be honest with him. "But it's gonna be different tonight, this time, we're ready for them."

Misha stood still, taking this in, then smiled and nodded, the two of them hugging as hope returned to Misha's face.

That evening, as they waited for nightfall, waited for the attack they knew was coming, the group decided they might as well continue their stories.

"Not really much more to tell for me." Arica admitted. "But yeah, I thought my dad was gonna leave me to die that night...he didn't. He carried me out of the city. He walked all night. We flowed with a terrified crowd. Father carried me all the way. I have no idea where that old alcoholic found the strength. The day broke and he was still carrying me. When we got here, he just dropped to his knees and died. I will always remember the last words he whispered."

The others gasped, but Arica didn't continue, she had tears in her eyes and it was clear it was still too painful for her.

So instead Niko spoke. "Don't worry, we've all had things we'd like to forget, like the shelling. Yeah, the shelling…I lost more friends in that, the college got hit as we were evacuated, I had just seen some of my friends off in one of the refugee trucks, no room for me in that one. Then a shell hit and all I could do was watch as the explosion and rubble killed the friends I had that were still to evacuate. I had no reason to stick around there, I ran for home."

Silence followed that and then, with his bottom lip trembling, Misha surprised them all.

He looked around and then revealed.

"One night, Roxy woke me up barking loudly and I heard terrible noises. I hid in my hideout because I knew that the thieves had come. Roxy fought them but they shot her. She saved my life. The thieves had left by morning, but they made a terrible mess and stole all our food."

Mara gasped. "Oh my god, Misha..."

She hugged him tightly, horrified that he had to experience that, Misha said nothing but they all sat in silence for a while longer, until finally Mara sighed.

"I told you guys about Eli, well..." She shuddered. "You don't choose who you survive with. It didn't take long for Eli's true colours to come out. If he said something, it was law. I think that's why he kept me close. I had nothing and no one, just him. I would have said anything just for his protection, and he knew that. I kept him warm at night and he kept me safe, it was an unspoken deal. There were always consequences if I said no..."

That was something else that startled them, Mara had been a victim of this Eli, the man had abused her, physically and sexually. They decided not to dredge up any more of the past, at least not tonight and so they continued to wait, with Niko briefly recalling some designs he had seen, he smiled lightly at the thought. After they had things under control he'd have to work on them, to make a nice surprise for Misha.

* * *

That night however, such thoughts were far from anyone's minds. Misha had hidden himself and was waiting until the all clear was given, the others had taken up position and were ready as the bandits broke in through the door, eager for revenge.

Which was a mistake as while unable to set up a proper reinforced door with an alarm, the group had nevertheless bobby-trapped the door with one of the guns. So the first man through yelled in agony as he was shot. This startled the others allowing Niko and Mara to use the other two guns to squeeze off two more shots and then Arica leapt in with her knife and attacked.

Making sure they still had a clear shot, Niko and Mara covered Arica as she fell back and this time, seeing that things were certainly not going their way and not wanting to risk anything, the bandits fled, empty-handed.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	12. Day 11: Reprieve

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 11 of my This War of Mine story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks and I don't see how not, considering they've gotten better at protecting themselves.  
Jadey97: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, yeah, they're sweet :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 11: Reprieve**

The following morning, the group woke up feeling relieved, their better performance yesterday at protecting the shelter had encouraged them and the dead bandits had been carrying more supplies and so, with the bodies buried, they gathering their supplies and began to plan their next move.

"Okay, we have enough to work on the reinforcing the door and setting up a makeshift alarm system." Niko remarked. "I'll get to work on that right away."

The others nodded and Arica spoke. "I'll check our weapons, make sure everything's alright and see if we need to make any repairs, to our shovel or crowbar."

"Anything in particular you'd like me to do?" Mara asked.

Niko smiled gently. "I know you'd like to help with some of these tasks Mara, but keeping an eye on Misha is an important task too...and he's grown fond of you."

"I get it, I'm the best to look out for him." Mara agreed with a warm smile. "Leave it to me."

With that they got to work and Niko began fixing up the door, the final act of security they could take on their shelter which would hopefully be enough to deter any further attacks. At the very least it would make sure they were well prepared for anything that could come. Arica worked on the weapons station, checking over everything they had to see what was in working order, what could be fixed up and what was now useless to them.

Meanwhile, Mara approached Misha, hoping to help occupy his time. To her surprise she saw him moving to sit down at the worn table that still stood in one of the rooms.

"Misha?"

He looked up and smiled. "Hi Mara, I um...I was just gonna..I found these."

It was then he showed her a collection of paper and some drawing materials.

"I was just, gonna draw something...um, do you wanna do it too?" He asked.

Mara smiled warmly as she sat down next to him. "That sounds like fun, of course I'll join in."

Misha grinned and passed Mara some paper and drawing materials and together they began drawing, Misha humming to himself as he did so. Mara smiled as she glanced over at him, hearing him and seeing the smile on his face.

'_It's such a relief that even in war, Misha's finding a way to still be a kid.' _She reflected. _'He's still so innocent, oh please, don't let anyone or anything take that from him.'_

It was then Misha smiled as he proudly displayed his finished drawing.

"It's of me and Roxy." He explained as Mara observed it.

She smiled. "It looks lovely, Misha, well done."

"What's your drawing?" Misha asked, looking at it carefully.

The drawing Mara had done reflected her intended career, it was her standing before the local school building.

She explained. "I wanted to be a teacher before the war broke out, who knows...I may have ended up teaching you."

Misha smiled at that and, with Mara watching happily, went to stick their drawings to the wall, next to their bed.

* * *

That night, when the bandits attempted to attack again, they tripped the alarm and the group was up and ready in an instant. They could hear the bandits cursing as they found the door much stronger and therefore harder to get through this time.

"Fuck, how did they, this isn't..." One of them could be heard growling.

It was clear they had expected the group to remain meek helpless victims and were unhappy with them for fighting back.

Another finally spoke. "We...we can't do this, they'll be awake and ready for us by now."

So it was, with more furious mutterings, that the bandits left, the raid this time hadn't even made it past the door. Relaxing at last the group returned to bed, now finally feeling that they'd have a chance, hope returned to them.

But later that night, a problem of a different kind came, as Mara's past came to haunt her dreams. She tossed and turned in her sleep. Locked in a nightmare of her former lover Eli. He was there, on top of her, pressing his body onto her, pinning her hands down. She was helpless, her struggles were pitiful. She could barely breath the dream felt that real, like his actual full weight was pressing against her. Her legs kept twitching and she whimpered.

"Please, no, no..." She moaned. "Get off me, please..."

"Mara?" Misha gasped, waking up hearing her.

Upon hearing her name, at the same time as her nightmare reached a more fearful point, Mara jolted awake.

"No!" She cried then saw the worried eyes looking up at her. "Oh Misha...did I wake you?"

She was panting for breath, but trying to pull herself together.

Misha just looked at her, bottom lip quivering. "Mara, you...are you alright?"

She took a shaky breath, wondering how to answer when she heard footsteps and saw Niko and Arica enter, clearly having also heard her.

"I...I'm okay." She stammered; her face feeling hot. "I was just having a bad dream, I didn't mean to wake everyone, I'm sorry."

"Bad dream?" Niko queried worriedly.

Arica however narrowed her eyes. "Anything to do with that Eli guy you told us about?"

"He...he was...I couldn't breathe..." She began but shook her head, hating the way everyone was staring at her, it made her feel foolish. "I'm just afraid he's still out there, looking for me."

There was a momentary silence after this.

Finally however the others smiled and Niko spoke softly.

"Hey, we're all right here, alright, don't worry, you're not alone." He told her

At the same time, having sat there, biting his lip, listening to Mara's explanation, Misha moved closer to the young woman who had become his protector and hugged her tightly. She had comforted him so much, he felt he needed to try and return some of that comfort.

Mara smiled at this, touched by Niko's words and Misha reaching out to comfort her this time. Tears filled her eyes although this time, it was due to happiness.

"Thank you, all of you." She whispered as she hugged Misha tighter, kissing the top of his head.

Finally recovering from that the group managed to return to sleep, the war still raged but together, they felt stronger and would pull together to get through it, no matter what.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	13. Day 12: Sudden Turn

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 12 of my This War of Mine story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Jadey97: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, yeah, they were sweet :)  
Boris Yeltsin: Worse, they were getting better?  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 12: Sudden Turn**

Facing yet another day, feeling refreshed and hopeful for once after their success last night, the group rose from their beds, pondering their next move. Mara had even recovered well from her nightmare and, hoping to find some guidance, they stood around the radio as Niko tuned it to the various radio stations, waiting to hear for anything that could help them. Radio One and City Today were both reporting on the crime wave, apparently there was some hope of ending soon.

"We can only hope that's true." Niko muttered.

Arica narrowed her eyes. "Wait, listen to this."

They had just tuned it to Weather FM. "Overcast the entire South-East Graznavia. It is getting colder every day. Make sure you have enough firewood if central heating is unavailable where you live."

They shared a worried look at that, it seemed the weather would be turning cold, it made sense however.

Mara bit her lip. "It is nearly winter, we should have expected this...I guess everyone was hoping the war would be over before winter set in."

The others nodded, winter would just make their hardships even more difficult.

"So, I don't see what we can do now." Niko remarked. "We'll need to go scavenging tonight since it's been some time and...well, we're running low on supplies..."

The others agreed but until then, they needed something to pass the time.

Luckily Arica found a solution.

"Hey um, I found these before going to bed last night." She remarked. "Maybe we could use them to pass the time?"

She pulled out a pack of cards from her pocket.

Seeing their looks she explained. "I checked, all the cards are there."

"Well, it sounds like fun, let's do it." Mara agreed.

So it was they all sat around the table and began playing. Even Misha joined in, Mara doing her best to explain things when he didn't understand one of the rules. They played for some time before finally, with a sigh, Niko spoke.

"You know, I think we've nearly told each other all of our stories...if you guys are feeling up to it, maybe we should finish?"

The others paused but then nodded and so Niko spoke again.

"It was only when I got home that I realized I was too late. All that was left was an empty house, not yet looted or bombed, but clearly it had been abandoned. I found notes and realized…I'd missed my family by two hours, they were already on the refugee trucks and out of the city and by now…it was too late for me to join them." Niko said, concluding his story.

The others nodded and continued to play their game.

Mara was the next one to speak. "The chaos messed with Eli's head. I don't think he was always like that, but maybe I just like to see the best in people. I became more scared of him then what was outside. One day it really got to him. He started a shoot-out with another group on the block. I saw the bloodlust in his eyes, it felt like staring death in the face. I turned and ran and just kept running, I never looked back. I wonder if he's still out there. I'm afraid one night I'll wake up to the sound of him growling, telling me to crawl back into bed."

Those words startled them, now they understood why Mara was so scared of the man.

Finally, after an awkward pause, Arica sighed. They knew why she was reluctant to talk, her story so far showed she had a difficult relationship with her father. Yet his final actions complicated things.

But finally she spoke. "He'd always been rough, never said what lay heavily on him, but at that moment he broke. "You have to make it, kid," he said right before he died. "You gotta be tough, all that's bad will end someday". He looked at me, pleading. "Like me.""

It was something they never expected, but it was clear from the look on Arica's face that she was struggling to reconcile those final moments, with the man who had beaten her all her life. Finally, after shifting in his seat, uncertain, Misha explained.

"I buried Roxy with her bowl and her toys and her blanket, and I marked the place on the wall. I didn't know what to do, so I waited. Then Daniel found me and took me with him. He said that Roxy is in heaven for saving me, and that one day I'll see her again. I just wish she was here, and my parents too. I have so much to tell them."

Mara smiled sympathetically, gently rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand, she understood why Misha was so anxious. But she noticed that he had also become more affectionate towards her, in a manner befitting a mother/son relationship. They weren't the only ones. Niko and Arica were beginning to notice a surprising spark between them, something which confused them both and in Arica's case, worried her.

* * *

Arica let out a slow breath as she approached the supermarket. It was the first time she'd been scavenging in a while and they hadn't really checked this area before. It had been damaged by the shelling and looked as if it had been partly ransacked, likely from the very start of the war.

'_But there could still be stuff left...just gotta look for it.' _She reflected. _'Need to get food mainly...and medical supplies.'_

So she cautiously entered the supermarket, looking around, worried there might be other people here. It was still dangerous outside after all. The place seemed deserted however so she began to rummage through the shelves, she found some components and wood, as well as bottles of water. To her great relief she managed to find some bandages too.

She bit her lip. _'But still no sign of any food...'_

It was then she realized there was one place she hadn't checked yet. The basement, there was a ladder set up, leading down to it. She approached warily and, after looking around carefully, descended into the basement. She continued to look around until finally she grinned as she found some food and quickly stashed it in her bag.

'_I think that's everything...' _She thought as she continued to look through another rubble pile, when suddenly, it happened. "MRUGH!?"

Her eyes widened in shock as a hand clamped over her mouth and, despite her struggles, she was dragged away.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	14. Day 13: Hostage Situation

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 13 of my This War of Mine story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Yup, why not :)  
Jadey97: Thanks, yeah :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 13: Hostage Situation**

There was tension in the shelter that morning as they waited, they could tell right away something was wrong.

"Arica's not back yet, this isn't like her..." Niko muttered worriedly as he stood by the door, looking outside.

Mara nodded, biting her lip. "What if something happened to her?"

Niko shuddered. "I don't wanna think about it, but..."

They trailed off, both worried greatly about the teen girl who had become an integral parts of the group. Niko looked out the window still, concern etched in every feature of his face. Mara observed this and bit her lip, unable to deny what was obvious.

'_Oh my, I saw it over the past few days but...' _She thought in amazement. _'Niko seems quite taken with Arica, God look at him now; this could be...'_

She couldn't help but be worried now, she was worried that Niko's clearly building feelings for Arica would lead him to some sort of rash action.

"Where's Arica?"

Mara turned, momentarily distracted from her worries by Misha who looked miserable.

"We don't know sweetheart." She admitted. "Hopefully she's alright."

Misha it seemed had taken to Arica as an older sister, just as he had taken to Misha as a mother figure.

She hoped that she could keep Misha calm and that Arica truly was alright and that she'd return for them soon. But then her fears returned as Niko hurried over to her.

"Mara, I'm sorry I can't stand this anymore." He said. "I'm going out to look for Arica."

Mara gasped. "What, Niko, no, it's too dangerous...the fighting and..."

Niko shook his head. "I have to, Arica wouldn't just disappear like this. I have to find...We know where she went and that's where I'll start, now please, just stay here and take care of Misha."

Mara shuddered but nodded, she could see the intensity in his eyes. There was no stopping him or arguing with him. So she could only watch sadly as Niko left the shelter, despite the danger.

Misha was also worried. "Where's Niko going?"

Mara swallowed. "He's gone to see if he can find Arica, to make sure she's alright...We, we'll have to wait for them."

So it was that Mara faced a difficult day, they desperately needed any supplies Arica might have found, but all the same, they were far too worried about their friends too. Still Mara did her best to distract Misha, playing with him and keeping him busy. But every moment that passed built up their worries and fears until night fell and still Arica didn't return and neither had Niko.

* * *

Approaching the door, taking a look out the window next to it, Mara was no longer able to hide her worry. Then she gasped as she saw him, there was a man she didn't recognize, running away from the shelter. Biting her lip nervously she looked at the door and then cautiously opened it, it was then she saw it, what looked like a letter of some sort, lying on the doorstep.

She picked it up and closed the door. Casting a wary glance at Misha, she checked the letter. She read it carefully and her breath caught in her throat as she finished reading it. It was a list of demands, instructing her to come to the supermarket, the very place where Arica had gone to scavenge.

There were threats contained within it which made her even more scared, if this letter was true, Arica and even Niko were being held captive and she was to come and negotiate for their safety.

'_My God this isn't, I can't...oh no, Arica and Niko...but if I go, Misha will be all alone.' _She thought in dismay. _'If I take him with me, he'll be in danger...'_

There was no easy answers that was clear. But Mara knew she was being left with no choice

"Misha, come here a minute." She said and he did so. "I'm sorry, I have to leave, Niko and Arica are in danger, I need to save them."

He immediately panicked. "Mara, no, you'll..."

"I have to Misha, they're in danger and only I can save them. You need to stay here, it's too dangerous. I...I hate doing this but I need to. Listen, you need to know how to protect yourself." She said.

Then despite how much she hated to do it, she gave Misha one of the knives they had and held his hands carefully.

Mara took a shaky breath. "Okay, listen, you need to be able to protect yourself, use this if you're threatened okay. It'll be hard, it'll be scary, but you can be brave, and if you need to, hide okay. Don't worry if they take everything in here, just keep yourself safe."

Misha nodded, pale and scared, but hopeful. So, despite her misgivings, Mara left the shelter, armed and ready to face whatever was threatening her friends.

* * *

Nervously, Mara approached the supermarket, praying that she'd be able to deal with this without resorting to violence, nevertheless she felt the unfamiliar but necessary weight of the gun and set her jaw. She stepped through the doors and tensed.

"About time you got here." The man said.

There was a group of men, five of them, all of them dressed in clothes which Mara identified as belonging to the rebels. Kneeling on their floor, their hands tied and tape covering their mouths was Niko and Arica, held at gunpoint, hostages.

Mara tried to keep her voice steady. "Please, I don't know what you want but we're just simple people trying to survive. Please, just let them go."

The man who appeared to be the leader scoffed. "Oh really. We know you're harbouring a fugitive. We'll let them go, once you hand over Roman."

"What?"

"Hand over Roman, the traitor, then we'll let your 'friends' go." The leader growled.

Mara shook her head. "I...I don't know who that is, none of us do, we've never heard of a guy called Roman."

But she could see it was futile, they clearly didn't believe it.

But it was then all hell broke loose, as Arica suddenly moved, she had worked out of her bonds and had a hold of her own knife, striking the man holding her at gunpoint. Seeing there was no other choice, Mara drew her gun and opened fire. Taking advantage of this, Arica tore the tape from her mouth and freed Niko who did the same. Soon the trio stood, shaken, breathing heavily, as four of the rebels lay dead, the fifth, seeing this, fled in a panic.

"You guys, what…?"

Niko shook his head. "I...I can't believe this, we..."

"Guys, let's, let's get back..." Arica said. "We'll worry about it then."

So, agreeing with this they left, Arica grabbing the bag of supplies she had stocked beforehand and they hurried back to the shelter, Mara praying that Misha was okay.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	15. Day 14: Moments of Hope

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 14 of my This War of Mine story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Yes indeed.  
Jadey97: Thanks, yeah, they really are pulling together.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 14: Moments of Hope**

The group woke up to another morning, after an emotional reunion with Misha following the safe return from the hostage situation, the group had got as much sleep as they could. Now it was another morning. Niko was out the back of the shelter for some reason, meanwhile Arica was checking over their supplies, including the supplies she had brought back.

"How are we today?" Mara asked as she walked over. "Enough to make it through?"

Arica straightened up and smiled lightly. "With a bit of luck and so long as we're careful, yeah."

"That's good."

Arica nodded in agreement and then, after a pause, she headed for the front door, pulling a cigarette out of her pocket. Mara bit her lip, trying hard not to look disapproving of this. She was disappointed really, of all the faults Arica had or claimed to have, for Mara, the only one that truly bothered her, was the girl's smoking.

'_I mean, she's only sixteen and...' _She shook her head and hid her disappointment, turning to smile hopefully at Misha who had joined her. "I think today's going to be a good one."

Misha smiled back, nodding, he too was hopeful and certainly happier than ever now the whole group was back together.

It was then Niko entered from the back garden of the shelter and smiled when he saw Mara and Misha there.

"Ah good, there you both are."

They turned to face him, Mara smiled. "What's up?"

"Well, some good news. Just heard on the radio that some civil defence groups sprang into action, mostly led by police officers who are still in the city...that crime wave is over, the looters don't even dare show themselves anymore." He explained.

Mara gasped then grinned. "That's a relief...at least that's one thing we don't have to worry about anymore"

"Yeah, also, c'mon out back, got something there I just finished building and testing." Niko remarked suddenly.

He turned and headed back outside, Mara was confused but followed him, Misha by her side. They stopped just outside and their eyes widened when they saw. There in the back garden, newly built was a swing. The sort typically found in parks for children, but made mostly of wood.

"Niko, this is..." Mara gasped, smiling, joy obvious on her face. "This is wonderful."

"Yeah, thought Misha might like it." Niko replied before noting the glowing smile on the boy's face. "Look like I was right."

Almost immediately Misha had turned to Mara, eyes shining. "

"Can I try it Mara, please." He pleaded.

Mara laughed softly. "Of course, go have fun."

Misha immediately did so, hurrying to the swing. Mara watched happily as he began to use it, smiling and occasionally laughing. She couldn't help but feel happy that he was having this time, despite the war, to actually be a kid.

She turned to Niko who also smiled, glad to see Misha having a chance to enjoy himself.

"Thank you, he needed this." She said.

Niko nodded then turned and headed inside, ready to see what else needed fixed up and what other things they would need to look for in future, although there were no plans that night for them to go and scavenge. Shortly afterwards, having finished her cigarette, Arica emerged and joined Mara.

"Hey, so...this was Niko's little surprise?" She queried.

Mara nodded, smiling. "Yeah, it was really nice of him. Misha loves it, this is the most fun he's had in a long time."

Watching the happy child as he played on the swing, Arica nodded.

"Yeah, he sure does..."

It was clear from her tone something was distracting the teen girl.

Mara turned to her, concerned, she could see that Arica looked fidgeted.

"Something wrong?" She asked.

Arica sighed. "I've just been...feeling strange lately...around Niko."

Even as she said it, she looked over her shoulder warily, as if expecting him to approach. Mara's eyes widened slightly as a thought occurred to her, but she decided she needed to be sure.

"How so...exactly?"

Arica bit her lip before explaining. "I feel...warm, whenever I look at him and, and it seems like there's a strange...fluttering in my stomach..."

Mara couldn't help laughing slightly, she had been right.

"Oh I see...sounds like you've got it bad." She replied.

"Wh-what?" Arica replied, her cheeks going red.

Mara laughed again "You know...love?"

"Oh God, really...that's..." Arica stammered, going even redder, biting her lip.

Seeing the girl blush, seeing Arica looking and acting like an actual teenager for once, Mara softened.

"I bet he feels the same way." She revealed. "I've seen him looking at you differently lately."

Arica started. "Seriously...God I...I think I need to talk to him."

Mara nodded, hopeful for both their sakes that things went well. She actually couldn't deny it, the two of them would make a cute couple, they may have been trapped in a war zone, but that didn't mean love had to disappear, in fact, they needed it now more than ever.

* * *

So that night, as Mara and Misha slept, Arica crept up to where Niko's bed was. He was there, about to lie down. But he stopped when he saw her.

"Arica?"

She bit her lip and then sighed. "Niko, I...I really need to talk to you."

He paused for a moment but then nodded and gestured for her to sit down, she did so, very aware they were both sitting on his bed, mere inches keeping them apart.

"I just, I don't know, exactly how to say this, but I've been feeling kinda...different around you and, and..." Arica stammered.

Niko paused and then spoke. "Arica, if you're saying what I think you're saying...I, I've been feeling, strange too, like, like something's changed between us...But why didn't you…?"

Arica sighed. "I've been, trying to deny it, it just...I don't know what's going on, we're at war and, and…"

"Sometimes, in times of great danger...something as simple as, love...can be what's needed." Niko said calmly.

Arica shook her head and, unable to hold it back any longer, she pulled him close and they kissed, falling onto the bed as they did so.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	16. Day 15: Familiar Name

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 15 of my This War of Mine story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, yes indeed, that is very true.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Jadey97: Thanks, yeah, it's sweet :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 15: Familiar Name**

It was the start of another day, the survivors attempting still to maintain a sense of normality in the war zone. Mara woke up that morning and left the room her and Misha's bed was situated in. She had got out of bed carefully, trying not to wake Misha, who nevertheless stirred slightly, but then slept on. She looked around and paused, a little surprised to find herself the first one up.

'_Hmmm, odd, usually Niko is the first one up.'_ She thought to herself.

She decided to go check on things, to make sure everything was alright. There were no signs of any break-ins, their security system remained intact, and the shelter was quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the war still raging outside. She began heading to the upper floor, as she was approaching the room where Niko's bed was, she passed Arica's, only to find it empty.

Mara bit her lip. _'Okay, very __odd...'_

She felt somewhat anxious, worried that something might have happened to Arica. But then she reached Niko's room. She barely stifled a gasp as she stood, surprised. She could now see Arica in his bed. Both of them sound asleep. Niko had his arm around Arica and she was pressed right up against him

Mara smiled lightly. _'O__h dear...I guess they just have...I'll let them sleep. Misha should be waking soon anyway.'_

She smiled at the sight of them, happy for them, and turned around to leave.

Heading back downstairs Mara smiled as she found Misha awake, yawning as he stretched.

"Morning sweetheart, did you sleep ok?" She greeted him.

Misha smiled back, nodding. "Yeah. So um, what's going to happen today?"

Mara thought for a moment. "Well, we're the first ones up. We can do anything you'd like."

"Oh?"

"Anything in particular you want to do? We could play a game?" She offered.

"Yeah." Misha cheered.

Mara smiled happily as she and Misha went to play, still delighted and marvelling at how such a sweet boy could exist, especially in a time of war.

'_Please don't let this war tear that innocence away from him.' _She thought desperately.

They played together quietly until finally they heard their companions waking up and headed up to see them. Soon the four met within the main room of the shelter.

"Good morning." Mara greeted them with a knowing smile.

Arica blushed and looked away. "Morning."

Niko just smiled. "Morning Mara, Misha, I hope you slept well."

"We did." Mara confirmed with Misha nodding.

Niko thought for a moment. "So...guess things have kinda...changed for all of us. The question now is, what are we going to do next."

Arica smiled, glad that despite her initial concerns, nobody was making a big deal out of her and Niko, however she couldn't deny, she still had some concerns. Pushing them away however she focused on the conversation happening right now between them all.

It was then there came a knock a the door and shouts for help. Sharing a wary look they nodded and, while Misha waited, the others approached the door, keeping weapons close. Opening the door they spotted two people there, a younger man supporting an older one.

The man at the door was tall, around twenty-seven with long brown hair and intense green eyes, he had an athletic build and scars on his forehead, he was fair skinned and had a look of danger around him.

With him was an older, bald gentleman with kindly brown eyes and a moustached smile, he looked to be late fifties at the least, maybe sixty, broad shouldered but with a normal build and fair skin. What shocked them most was the older man was injured, yet when they introduced themselves, they spoke rather casually.

"I'm Roman." The younger man said. "Thanks for opening the door. I'm looking for a place to hide away for some time. I was drafted by the rebels, but I didn't want to kill my brothers, so I ran away at first opportunity. If they catch me, I'm dead. Let me stay with you!"

The older man then spoke. "Good day, my name's Anton. Forgive me this intrusion... You see, I am not so young anymore, and frankly I don't think I can survive this war on my own. Would you be so kind as to let me stay with you? I promise I'll work to earn my keep!"

Concerned for Anton's well-being, the group agreed and both men entered the shelter. At once Anton was guided to a chair and they began using their bandages to treat his injury.

As they worked they were unaware of the shadowy figure spying on their shelter, in particular, watching Mara and Misha. Misha meanwhile was watching the new arrivals curiously and, after some basic introductions Anton smiled.

"I'm so glad to be here. I apologize for my introductory tirade. But this war has taken a heavy toll on my mind. Some people who are... who were very dear to my heart gave me an order to stay alive at all costs. And since I owe them my life, it's no longer mine to throw away."

Mara gasped hearing that. "Wow, that's...I'm sorry to hear that."

He smiled kindly and then all eyes turned to Roman who shrugged.

He then explained. "I was at the front line since the shit got serious. My unit was always the first to go in and the last to get out. After I lost a quarter of my men, the elders decided we needed some R&R. That's how I wound up in Pogoren, where all was quiet. It was not to last."

They nodded, knowing all too well what he meant. Following that they spent the day talking and detailing their plans and what was going on in the shelter. That night, possibly to prove himself to the group, Roman went out scavenging.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	17. Day 16: Winter is Coming

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 16 of my This War of Mine story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, oh yes indeed :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Jadey97: Thanks and no, he certainly is not, as you'll soon see, next chapter.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 16: Winter is Coming**

When the group of survivors woke up the following morning, they were shocked to find that it suddenly felt cold.

Shivering Mara looked around. "It's freezing!"

The others found themselves shivering too and approached any nearby windows, to see snow falling.

"Yeah, I don't..." Niko began.

He then turned quickly and went and tuned the radio, the others joining him as he tuned it to Weather FM, just in time for the following announcement.

"It is cold. Unfortunately, higher temperatures are not expected over the next couple of days, so make sure to keep the fire going day and night."

Roman growled. "And we're at war...which is gonna make things even harder."

It was clear to them now, winter was setting in, which made their hardship from the war that much harder. Now their rainwater collector wouldn't work, getting water would be tricky, scavenging would be difficult and, even worse, the winter would make the shelter much colder. They'd have to find ways of keeping warm, or they'd likely freeze to death.

Naturally Mara had a greater concern than herself.

"We should get you bundled up." She said to Misha, turning to the others. "Do we have any heavy coats?"

Misha looked up at her. "Mara?"

"Hold on, I'll look around." Arica offered.

Arica then left the room and began her search, meanwhile Mara turned to Misha and adjusted his hunting hat and scarf, smiling.

"I don't want you to freeze."

He smiled lightly at that.

There was a short pause before Arica returned, carrying a winter coat.

"Hey, here, found this." She said quickly.

Mara smiled and took it from her. "Thanks."

She quickly got to work and helped Misha pull it on before buttoning it up all the way up, then she adjusted his hat and scarf once more and kissed his forehead.

"There, all bundled up."

Misha smiled at that. "Thank you."

Mara returned the smile and hugged him.

A short while later, the group was hard at work, using the supplies they had, as well as those Roman had brought back from his scavenging trip, to make more fuel and filters, also trying to make sure they had enough water. They built several heaters to keep the shelter warm too. Their remaining concern now was finding good and medical supplies. Arica came up with an idea and volunteered to go scavenging that night.

With the others agreeing, they began to try and wait out the winter, readying themselves for the cold night ahead. Sure enough, that night, the cold made itself known. The heaters kept the worst of it at bay but Mara was still wary, doing her utmost to keep Misha warm. She pulled him as close to her as she could and held him.

Keeping the blankets wrapped around them. Misha smiled softly and held onto her, appreciating her efforts at caring for him greatly.

* * *

Meanwhile, Arica looked around cautiously, she had arrived at St. Mary's Church, having heard that many faithful had taken up residence in the basement here. The Priest of the church was said to trade goods with other survivors too. She had brought spare supplies from the shelter in the hopes he'd have food and medical supplies they could use. Entering the church Arica looked around, feeling a little out of her element, she'd never been to church before in her life. Yet despite the damage from the shelling, the old building maintained some of it's former grandeur. She spotted the priest of the church at the far end, looking over a large bundle of items. She nervously approached and when he looked up she paused.

But he then smiled. "Ah, welcome my child, how may I assist you?"

Swallowing Arica replied. "I...I heard you are willing to trade?"

"Yes, you have supplies?"

She nodded. "Yes, I'm after, food, medical supplies."

"You're in luck." He said. "We've recently got quite a number of them, we can easily spare some."

Arica smiled in relief and soon they were able to make the trade, getting food and bandages and when Arica made her return to the shelter, it was with renewed hope, despite the winter, that they would make it.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	18. Day 17: Eli

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 17 of my This War of Mine story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; yeah well, it's about to get even worse I'm afraid.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Jadey97: Thanks, well, here we go, although this chapter title might send shivers down your spine.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 17: Eli**

Returning to the shelter Arica smiled as she found the others waiting for her.

"Hey, I got lucky, here."

She showed them all the results of her trip, much to their relief and delight and so it was they sat down and began to eat, enjoying a meal for once. Having already opened up and shared their stories, the rest of the group were still waiting to hear more from Anton and Roman.

Anton smiled lightly, happy to oblige.

"I was factually precise about my status in the academia. I was nominated for the Fields Medal once – it's like the Nobel Prize in mathematics. I'm... I used to teach and enjoyed it quite a lot. This, in turn, is in a way responsible for the impact the war had on me. I was trying to protect my brightest students for months, only to become a witness to them being killed ruthlessly."

They gasped in horror hearing that, Anton had seen many of his students killed. The old man had a far away look in his eyes as he spoke, likely remembering the hard time.

Trying to break the awkward silence, Roman spoke. "The battle for Pogoren was short and ugly. When the man in the street can turn out to be the enemy, people start... taking precautions. Like shooting anyone who looks at them funny. I'm not saying I did that, but I was the minority."

It was clear that the war had been hell on all of them, all in different ways.

* * *

Later in the day, as the sun was setting, a man stood, watching the shelter, just as he had been for the past few days. The man was in his mid-twenties, with short blonde hair, wide intense blue eyes, and a strong build, his bearing suggested a possible military background. His name was Eli, the very same Eli that Mara thought she had escaped, he had finally hunted her down and was now glaring as he observed Mara, out the back of the shelter, with Misha, who was playing on the swing Niko had built.

'_Finally, you will come back to me, bitch, I'll make sure of it.' _He thought, glaring.

He continued to observe her as she interacted with Misha who was laughing and looking happier than he had been in the past few days.

Mara giggled as Misha played on the swing. "Not too high Misha, careful."

_'Who's fucking kid is that?'_ Eli thought angrily. _'She shacking it up with the dad? I'll slit both their fucking throats.'_

Even as he thought that, the door opened and Arica stepped out, approaching Mara.

"Hey, Niko's about to go scavenging, we're gonna make sure all the beds are setup for tonight, can you give us a hand?"

"Sure." Mara replied before turning to Misha who had come over and took her head. "I'll be right back okay, don't wander off, stay by the swing."

She gently rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand in a comforting gesture.

"Okay." Misha replied with a nod.

With that Mara headed inside with Arica while Misha stood by the swing, enjoying a few more moments outside.

Watching this, Eli saw a chance, especially after noting Mara's interaction with Misha.

'_She loves that little brat, she'll come right to him if he cries out and the stupid kid is all alone...perfect.' _He thought with a dark grin. _'Alright, this is the only chance I'll get.'_

With that he quickly began to approach Misha. Unaware of this, Misha hummed happily, feeling safe for the first time since the war started. He paused when he heard footsteps behind him.

"Mara?"

It was a male voice that answered. "Wrong brat."

"Wh-Mrgh!?" He cried out.

Eli grabbed the boy, clamping a hand over his mouth and quickly began dragging the boy away.

"Let's go boy, Mara is mine and you are my ticket to making sure she sees that." He growled.

He soon reached his destination and threw Misha to the ground before beginning to use tape to bind Misha's hands behind his back, terrifying the poor boy.

"Please, let me go, I didn't do anything." Misha cried.

Eli glared. "You need to shut up brat."

Misha tired to reply but all that came out was. "NNMMM!"

This was because Eli had been quick to shove a foul tasting rag into the poor boy's mouth before also gagging him with tape, then pulling Misha to his feet and readying his knife he dragged the poor boy back towards the shelter.

* * *

Unaware of this, Mara smiled as she worked on setting up her and Misha's bed, making sure, as she usually did, that Misha's side was warmer and softer than hers. Especially with the cold weather. Niko had already left for his scavenging trip and now it was just her, Arica and Roman working on the beds, while Anton made sure the supplies were stored safely and their weapons were within easy reach.

She smiled lightly, thinking. _'__It's so strange to think I ended up here. When I found...Eli...I thought it would be us against the world. I still remember the faces of our group. They're all gone now. Because of him. And now I'm here. I never thought I'd feel joy again, but Misha's smile makes everything so worth it. Everything I do now is for him, that's my light at the end of all this.'_

Happy with that, shaking her bad thoughts away and fluffing Misha's pillow she smiled and left for the back, to call Misha back in.

"Alright Misha." She said as she stepped out. "Let's get ready for...bed..."

She stopped, eyes widening as she looked around, Misha wasn't there.

"Misha…?" She called, panic building. "Misha? Where are you?"

She hurried back inside, still panicked and quickly got everybody's attention and told them what happened. They immediately all reacted, worried and were about to start looking for Misha when Mara heard a horribly familiar voice call out to her.

"Mara, get out here, bitch, I got something you might wanna see!"

Mara froze in her tracks, stiffening up at the sound of Eli's voice, for it was indeed him.

She spoke under her breath. "No, no, no, no, please no..."

"What the...Mara?" Arica began to ask.

Anton then queried. "What is going on?"

Roman turned to her, eyes narrowed "'Friend' of yours?"

Mara just stares at them in horror, unable to respond due to her sheer terror.

Memories of Eli flooding back at the thought of him having done something to Misha. Bracing herself, she slowly went to the window to see what Eli was screaming about, terrified.

Arica whispered. "Mara?"

Eli shouted again. "I know you're in there bitch, I know you recognise my voice, come out now, or else."

Then she saw Misha, who reacted in terror as the knife was held to his neck.

"Mmmmm mmmm!" He cried out.

Mara stood rigid, heart pounding, freezing at the sight of Misha tied up and completely terrified, tears rolling down the tape stretched over his mouth, noting the knife against his throat. The sweet baby who never hurt anyone, HER baby.

"I knew he would find me. I knew it, deep down I knew I wasn't free of him." She whispered knowing what she had to do. "He won't let Misha go unless I go down there..."

The others froze hearing that, finally, Mara spoke, swallowing her terrified thoughts, she prepared to brave Eli, moving to leave.

Arica blocked her, frantic. "What, are you crazy...if you're gonna go, don't go alone, let me come with you, if I can close enough..."

"Arica no, please, I can't risk Misha." Mara burst out. "You don't know Eli like I do, he's insane. He won't let him go unless he has me, I have to do this..."

She paused, tearing up.

"Please, when you get Misha back, tell him I love him."

With that she took a deep, shaky breath, and went to meet Eli. However, unseen by the others, Roman took that moment to slip upstairs.

Outside, Eli smirked and Misha's eyes widened in distress when Mara emerged.

Mara kept her eyes trained on Eli. "I'm here, I'm here, please don't hurt him, he hasn't done anything."

"Get your ass over here then. I don't care what this brat has done or not done, you're coming with me or I'm cutting him." Eli threatened.

Mara quickly stepped closer. "Ok, ok, please I'm here, let him go now Eli, please."

Eli scoffed. "You should've told me you were that desperate to have a kid, I would've gladly put one in you. After all, we had plenty of fun times together, I'm sure you'll remember."

"Well, you got what you came for, I'm here now." Mara reasoned. "Please let him go."

She quickly looked to Misha to give him a comforting look.

"Why should I, you're clearly attached to him, I think we should bring him with us...the perfect little family." Eli offered.

Mara was completely horrified at the thought of Misha suffering like she did. "No, no, please, you can have me just let go of him please! Just let him go and we can leave together, please Eli."

Eli narrowed his eyes. "I don't think I like that, it sounds like you're telling me I can't do something. But I suppose, can't exactly enjoy your body with a kid in tow..."

Mara saw and pressed her advantage. "Yes, yes we can do everything we did before, all of it. Just please...let Misha go, please."

Eli paused, considering.

Horrified by what he was hearing, Misha cried. "MMMMM!"

Mara began panicking looking at Misha, reaching out her hand towards him.

She then spoke, urging Eli to let the boy go. "Please, let him go now. I'll come with you, I won't run again. I promise."

Eli smirked, he had just got what he wanted.

But before Eli could reply, a gunshot suddenly rings out, Eli was struck right between the eyes and dropped back, dead, the moment he was let go of, Misha ran to Mara, still gagged and with his hands bound behind his back

Mara immediately hugged him close, kissing his head repeatedly "Misha baby, are you ok? Did he hurt you?"

As she asked this she slowly peeled the tape from his mouth.

Misha responded by spitting out the rag stuffed in his mouth and blurting out something surprising. "Mom."

He froze, suddenly realizing what he just said and blushed, bowing his head.

Mara froze in shock at that, then smiled and hugged him. "Are you ok Misha? Did he hurt you?"

Misha shook his head. "No, he just...did that...I was scared."

Mara hugged him again, pulling his head close to her chest and stroking his hair.

"It's ok, it's over. It's over now I got you." She said softly.

She stared at Eli's body while rubbing Misha's back, shocked at the event and that it was finally, officially, over. She watched the blood run out of Eli as if to make sure he's really dead.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry sweetie, I should never have left you alone." She said sadly. "This is my fault...here"

With that she pulled out her knife and cut the tape from his wrists, before leading the still trembling boy back inside the shelter.

Back inside they found the answer of who fired the shot as Roman came downstairs, still holding his gun.

Mara gasped as she cradled Misha close to her, stroking his hair. She stared at Roman, unsure of what to say. Still reeling from the shock of everything.

"Thank you." She blurted out, unable to think of anything else.

She felt guilty that this all happened, that Misha was taken, that they had to witness this, that Roman had to take a life, she felt like it was all her fault.

Roman however just shook his head. "It's over now."

Mara nodded and focused fully on Misha now, he would certainly need her now more than ever.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	19. Day 18: Recovery

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 18 of my This War of Mine story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Yeah, very true :/  
Jadey97: Thanks, yeah, it was hard, but he is gone now.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 18: Recovery**

Returning to the shelter following his successful scavenging trip, Niko paused, concerned as he noted the dried blood on the ground outside the building. He edged closer and stepped inside. The others reacted at once.

"Hey whoa, whoa, it's me." He said quickly.

They relaxed and Mara let out a soft sigh. "Niko, thank God it's you."

Niko looked around, seeing their anxious faces, Misha's tears. "What the hell happened here?"

"Eli happened." Arica replied shortly. "The guy Mara told us about."

"Holy...then, that's his blood out there?" Niko queried.

The others nodded and Roman explained. "He took Misha hostage, tried to force Mara to go with him...so I shot him, clean through the head, we got rid of the body."

Niko gasped, shocked that such a thing had occurred. It soon became clear however that they were doing everything they could to recover from this ordeal. Misha was being comforted by Mara and they held onto the hope that this would be the worst of their nightmares. Trying to retain some semblance of normality, the others gathered around as Niko brought his supplies to the ones they currently still had and checked over everything, to see what they still needed and in the hopes of building more heaters if necessary.

While working on getting more water and also making sure they had plenty of fuel, fresh concerns began to build, especially noticeable with Niko and Arica. Their relationship had only started a couple of days ago, but it was already facing problems, mainly due to their current doubts. Looking over at Arica as they worked, Niko bit his lip.

'_We can't...we're struggling to keep things going...I mean, we're in a war zone...' _He thought to himself. _'What are we gonna do to keep things going, we're just fighting to survive and yet...'_

He sighed and focused on his work, unsure what he could do about everything that was troubling him. Meanwhile Arica was having similar thoughts, as well as having worries that went even further.

'_Urgh, shit...what are we gonna do, I mean...bad enough we're at war, what about when there's finally peace, how am I supposed to, how and Niko and I...' _She fretted. _'Could we still be a couple when the war is over, I mean...I'm a thief, how can I fix that, how can he look at me and not see me as I really am...'_

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, Mara who was nearby turned to her, worried.

"Arica, are you…?" She began.

She could see the teen girl was stressed and knew that, when she got stressed, she went out to smoke, it turned out Roman was a smoker too.

Seeing Mara's look Arica managed a small smile. "It's cool, I...I already had a smoke today. I've actually managed to cut back."

Mara and Niko who also overheard this both smiled, impressed.

* * *

That night, despite the misgivings of the others, Anton had went out scavenging while the others slept. Mara was woken up however when she felt Misha begin to squirm next to her.

"Misha? You ok?" She whispered, worriedly.

She froze, even more worried as she noticed he had begun trembling and whimpering, his eyes screwed shut tight

Misha then began moaning. "No, no, please..."

Mara continued to grow concerned. "Misha, what's wrong sweetie?"

She gently shook him, trying to wake him up, suddenly realizing he was in the grips of what was clearly a horrible nightmare. When he did wake up however, he jerked awake with a short cry. Then he realized where he was and who was with him.

Misha tearfully tried to speak. "M-Mara...he...he..."

Mara responded by taking him into her arms and speaking softly. "Who? Who's he?"

"The...the bad man who took me yesterday." Misha whimpered through tears.

Mara froze, realization hitting her, her voice pained. "Oh Misha...it's ok sweetie, it was just a nightmare."

She stroked his cheek softly while Misha leaned into her comfort, calming down

Mara rocked him gently. "Its over. He can't hurt us anymore. You should try to go back to sleep, ok?"

Guilt filled her that Misha was still so traumatized from his capture, feeling like it was all her fault. Misha however smiled and nodded before snuggling into Mara and slowly drifting off. Mara sighed sadly and kissed the top of Misha's head, setting him back down on the bed gently and tucked him back in.

'_I should have never left you alone yesterday. It's all my fault you had to experience that. At least he's gone now...and I'll never let anyone hurt you ever again.' _She thought sadly.

She just hoped that she could truly help Misha overcome this.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	20. Day 19: Growing Doubts

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 19 of my This War of Mine story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks and no, of course not :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Jadey97: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 19: Growing Doubts**

With another day started, the survivors continued to work on their shelter, trying to keep things going. But there was tension, Arica bit her lip as she stood before Niko, shifting from foot to foot.

"Arica..." Niko began softly.

"No Niko, you don't understand." She said quickly. "This isn't, you can't deny it, you feel the same."

Niko bit his lip, worried as he realized exactly what she was talking about. He knew he had doubts about their relationship, about if it might survive the war, if it could survive and form a life together in a time of peace.

He shook his head. "Arica, I know, but we..."

"What are we even doing? I mean, why set ourselves up like this if it might just blow up in our faces?" Arica shot back.

Niko groaned. "So what are you saying, you want to just deny things, we...we won't know if we don't try."

Arica just glared darkly, clearly there was a lot of friction building between them, due to their fears of what would happen to them. The more kind-hearted members of the group, Anton and Mara both stood, having witnessed this, sharing worried looks.

"Mara?"

She bit her lip, turning to Misha who looked up at her, worried.

"Are Niko and Arica angry at each other?" He asked worriedly.

Mara sighed. "It's...it's complicated Misha, but, we're sure they can work it out."

Misha bit his lip, clearly still worried.

Still, even with the argument leaving a cloud over them, the group worked together making sure they had everything they needed, determining what they would need to get from a scavenging trip and trying their hardest to keep out the cold, ensuring they were well wrapped up. But there was still some tensions, especially in regards to the scavenging trip tonight, Misha was worried since Mara was the one who had to go out and scavenge.

"Mara, what if you don't come back, it's dangerous out there." He said quietly, bottom lip quivering. "Please..."

Mara pulled him into a hug. "It's okay Misha, trust me...I'll come back, I'm not going anywhere too dangerous."

Misha bit his lip but nodded and watched with sad eyes as Mara left the shelter, heading out to begin her scavenging trip. Seeing this and, well aware of his view of her as a sister figure, Arica approached Misha and knelt down next to him.

"Hey Misha. Don't worry, Mara's tough." She told him. "That horrible man that took you, you heard him, he hurt Mara before but she survived him and look at her now. She can handle herself, she will be fine."

Misha turned to her, trembling. "I...Arica..."

She bit her lip but then smiled. "Yeah, you can trust me, she'll be alright, and I'll help you tonight, you can stay with me tonight if you want."

Misha smiled at that, before hugging Arica, who returned the hug.

* * *

That night, the others remained surprised, as Arica showed her softer side, comforting Misha. She let Misha lie in her bed, holding him close as Mara had done and watching this, Niko bit his lip.

'_I...Arica is so afraid, because of her past. But look at her, she couldn't do this if she was the hardened criminal she claimed to be.' _He reflected. _'She's just a girl who had a hard time and was forced into crime to survive, she can change, become better and I'd love to help her...I just wish...'_

Whatever doubts Niko had vanished at that moment, but he knew Arica had not overcome hers and he wasn't sure he could convince her himself.

"No, no!" Misha suddenly moaned.

Arica was instantly awake and spoke. "Misha, Misha please, wake up."

Misha gasped, eyes snapping open. "I...what…?"

"Hey, it's okay, Misha." Arica said gently. "It was just a nightmare."

"Arica, I…I'm sorry." He whispered.

Arica smiled. "It's alright Misha, you'll be fine, try to go back to sleep okay."

She gently comforted the boy, showing Niko once again that he was right and as he headed to bed, Arica and Misha drifting off to sleep, Niko soon was asleep himself, things were still tense as they made an effort to keep warm in the winter, to wonder about Niko and Arica's relationship and waiting anxiously for Mara's return, hoping she would find useful items for the shelter. But they had only one option now, to stick together, no matter what, to survive, they just prayed they would make it, wondering just how much longer this war would rage on, peace couldn't come quickly enough.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	21. Day 20: Returning Hope

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 20 of my This War of Mine story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Oh?  
Jadey97: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, yeah :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 20: Returning Hope**

Mara returned to the shelter and smiled as she was greeted with the sight of a relieved Misha running to greet her.

"Mara!"

She grinned and put her bag down, kneeling down to hug him.

"I'm back Misha, I promised you I'd be okay." She said. "I even got some good stuff to help us make it a bit longer."

Misha smiled happily as the others came to see her too, glad to see her safe return. They soon collected her supplies and grouped them with the rest of their accumulated supplies. They began to look around afterwards to see what remained, if there was anything to work on as they waited for the night to come, as there were plans for another scavenging trip, this time Arica had volunteered to go this night. With a lull, as they weren't finding much more to do, Arica continued to fret as she looked over to Niko who was looking over everything.

'_Urgh, this is getting crazy...I can't stop thinking about Niko, we have so much to deal with...' _She thought. _'Especially since we have these issues, how can we possibly remain together, it's hard enough in war time, how can we hope to succeed in peace, especially with my past.'_

She suppressed a groan, trying to focus, but she couldn't take anymore.

So she did the only thing she could and went to find Mara.

"Hey, Mara, um..." She began awkwardly. "Can I talk to you privately for a minute?"

Mara looked up at her and smiled. "Sure, I'll be just a moment Misha."

The boy nodded and together Mara and Arica made their way to another room where they were alone.

"So, what's up?" Mara asked casually.

Arica sighed. "I just...you remember I spoke to you about me and Niko?"

Mara bit her lip. "Yes, is everything alright, we've seen you guys...arguing."

"We just don't know how we're gonna make things last." Arica admitted. "We just...we care yes but, is that enough I mean, when this war's over how are we supposed to...How do we support ourselves."

Mara sighed. "Arica, I...listen, you guys are clearly in love and that's why you're having these doubts. You want to make things better...listen Niko is a great guy. Look at him, look how good he is to all of us, you especially. If we make it through this alive...he'd be the perfect partner."

"No, Niko...He might be, but I'm..." Arica replied. "He might be good for me, but I'm not good for him.

"Arica..."

She shook her head. "C'mon, remember what I've told you about me...I'm a thief, he deserves better than a petty criminal."

"You didn't have a choice, you had to become a thief to survive." Mara said softly. "Niko knowns that too, now just...just relax, it'll be alright, Niko cares about you greatly."

Arica bit her lip and considered those words and hope began to bloom within her again.

Still smiling she thought for a moment as she followed Mara back to where the others were, she could hear Roman talking to Niko and Anton, revealing what appeared to be the next part of his story.

"After the borders between our turf and the enemy's were more or less stable, things got even uglier. Entire groups were rounded up and some people shot after having been interrogated." He revealed with a dark expression. "One day we were ordered to dispose of a bunch of such poor bastards. I recognized one of them. It was Leon, my best childhood buddy. I aimed over their heads. Others didn't."

They all froze hearing this, shocked and horrified. While trying to contain themselves and consider what to do next, Niko and Arica locked eyes and it was clear between them that they had to try and talk. But before they could do so, there was other matters to attend to, such as Arica's scavenging trip and she had to get ready for it. As she did so, Niko approached.

"Arica, I...good luck." He said with a soft smile.

She turned to him and smiled back. "Yeah, listen, we need to talk I know, unless...unless something happens that requires out attention, we'll talk tomorrow, okay."  
Niko nodded in agreement and Arica left the shelter to scavenge for the night, feelings of hope returning to all of them.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	22. Day 21: Tragedy

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 21 of my This War of Mine story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Oh yes indeed :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Jadey97: Thanks :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 21: Tragedy**

So it was another cold day started as Arica returned from scavenging and the others woke up and checked over their supplies. While Arica rested from the previous night, Roman, Anton and Niko got to work making sure the shelter was kept warm and that they still had enough fuel and filters and water and other supplies. Meanwhile, Mara checked their food supplies and began preparing their meal for the day.

She noted however that Misha was still not up.

She bit her lip. _'T__hat's strange, Misha still isn't up. I let him sleep him but he never stays this long...and he was really fitful last night, kept tossing and turning and cuddling me...'_

"Mara, are you alright?" Niko's voice startled her out of her thoughts.

She recovered however and turned, biting her lip.

"I think I need to check on Misha. Last night he was very clingy, even more so than usual, and restless." She explained. "He's still not up yet, and I don't like leaving him alone for too long after...what happened."

Niko nodded, knowing she meant the kidnapping. "Ah, of course, go ahead, I'll keep an eye on the food."

Mara nodded, grateful and headed to the room where her and Misha's bed as located. She entered and spotted Misha, still lying in bed. Worried she made her way over to him. Hearing her Misha turned over in the bed and Mara faltered, noting his face was flushed and he sniffled before suddenly coughing.

"Misha, are you okay?" She asked concerned as she rushed to his side.

Misha sniffled and then spoke, his voice croaky. "Mara, I don't feel well."

Mara tensed, outwardly she tried to remain calm, but inside she was panicking. She knelt down and felt his forehead and cheeks, they were warm, sweaty. She realized right away Misha had a fever.

Misha whimpered then and Mara gently, comfortingly, ran her hand over his forehead.

Meanwhile she called out. "Niko?"

"What's wrong?" He asked quickly.

Mara grimaced, gesturing to Misha. "He's running a fever."

"God..." Arica hissed. "And we're out of medicine..."

"We need to get some." Mara insisted, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Immediately."

She didn't finish, she didn't have to, they could all see Misha in bed, whimpering and writing while Mara stroked his forehead with her thumb, trying to clam him. If they didn't find medicine, Misha would get worse and could possibly die.

"Whoever is going scavenging tonight should look for some them, prioritize it." Anton remarked.

Mara nodded but then said. "I'll stay with him, he needs me."

The others nodded, not even questioning it. She turned back to Misha, affectionately rubbing his cheek, not caring that its sweaty and flushed. Misha looked at her tearfully, but hopeful, trying to draw strength from her comforting gestures. The rest of the day was spent trying to keep things as safe and secure for Misha as possible. They all ate, Mara was able to help Misha eat too, to try and keep his strength up, as well as helping him drink. Every now and again Misha would slip into fever dreams while Mara did her best to comfort him, wiping his forehead.

'_Poor Misha, he deserves better than this...' _She thought sadly. _'First he gets separated from his parents, doesn't even know if they're still alive...he was kidnapped and now he's sick...'_

The others meanwhile discussed their plans and it was decided, in the end, for Roman to go and scavenge that night.

* * *

Roman sighed as he reached his destination, when he left Mara had not been sleeping and he doubted she would. She was staying up, watching over Misha. He looked around the area he had entered, it used to be a hotel before the war, now it was just another shell. But as he drew closer he quickly ducked into the shadows.

'_Shit...the rumours were true...' _He noted. _'Bandits have taken over this place...'_

He had spotted them just in time. Two men and from the sounds of their talk, there were two more and another man being held hostage. Roman pondered for a moment and then, seeing one of the bandits approaching his hiding place, made up his mind and pulled out his knife.

As soon as the bandit was near enough and had his back turned, Roman acted. He dragged the man back into the shadows while knifing him through the back. Leaving the body hidden he resumed his way through the hotel; taking cover and stealthily killing the bandits until all four were dead. Using their key he also released the hostage.

But after searching the place thoroughly he had to leave and return to the shelter. He had managed to get his hands on some supplies.

But no medicines.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	23. Day 22: Hard Times

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 22 of my This War of Mine story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Yeah, especially difficult as we are so far into the war now, a lot of places will have been picked clean.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Jadey97: Yeah, poor kid and sadly, well...read on.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 22: Hard Times**

Roman returned to the shelter and entered cautiously, he was getting worried, he was sure the others were too, the snow was getting thicker and more was appearing on the ground. It was also getting colder.

"Roman?"

He bit his lip as he turned to the bed where Mara knelt, Misha lay, still wrapped in a fever dream by the look of things as Mara tried to soothe him. The others were also approaching, anxious.

He sighed heavily and bowed his head. "Sorry, I couldn't find any."

Mara exhaled shakily, a frantic look on her face. Her attention immediately returned to Misha as he began coughing.

"It's okay Misha, it's okay." She whispered. "We'll find something."

The others looked on sadly, unsure if Mara was simply trying to comfort Misha, or convince herself that it would be true, most likely both.

"What are we gonna do?" Roman whispered.

Niko shook his head. "Nothing we can do for now, except keep this place running and warm."

So they began to get to work, making use of their supplies and the ones Roman had brought. They had managed to gather a good collection of water by now and put it to use, giving it to Misha when needed. Meanwhile Mara remained by Misha's bedside, caring for him as best she could, all the while fearing what would happen to the poor boy.

She truly had grown to love him like a son and he had become openly affectionate towards her, as if towards a mother. She wasn't sure such a bond would last beyond the war, but right now, she was afraid Misha might not see that end, unless something could be done about the lack of medicine.

Some time later, the others stood around, talking to each other.

"We need to think, what places haven't we checked yet, anywhere that could have medicines?" Niko was saying.

"Hmm, there might be somewhere.." Anton remarked. "I saw a decrepit old squat not far from here...before I was injured."

Arica bit her lip. "You really think it's been left untouched, after all this time."

Niko sighed. "We won't know unless we try, any areas not already picked clean are under control of the military or the rebels by now. I heard on the radio the rebels have taken over the school."

"Well, I'll give it a try tonight." Arica said. "If there's no medicines at the squat, what do we do?"

Niko sighed. "I don't know...I'll think of something..."

There was silence after that as they all tried to think. Meanwhile Niko and Arica shared worried looks. Despite their original plans, they had yet to talk about their relationship, or the new hope for it they had found. Misha's illness had pushed it clean out of their heads. Their own emotions remained in conflict, especially right now, so close to each other and yet they knew, the time wasn't right.

All they could do was wait, wait and hope that Arica would find something when she went out scavenging that night.

* * *

So it was that night that Arica approached the decrepit squat, her breath rising in a mist from her mouth in the frigid air.

'_Please let there be something here, for Misha's sake.' _She thought desperately.

She made her way inside and looked around worriedly. It was as she fear, the place had already been ransacked and things taken. Not everything was gone though, she noticed a few piles of things that hadn't been fully picked through. She began her search carefully and soon found more things they could use to keep the shelter warm. But still hadn't found any medicines. Heading down into the basement she stopped, grimacing and covering her mouth.

'_Urgh, the smell...'_

She soon saw the source, the long dead corpse of a man, homeless from the look of him, shot through the back of the head. Shaking her head sadly Arica continued on until she reached a door way that looked like it had been sealed by bars, but they had been sawed off.

Biting her lip she stepped inside and looked around, it appeared to be a small storeroom. Her heart leapt when she sat it, the medicine cabinet and she hurried over, opening it. Inside was a medicine bottle, picking it up Arica examined it; it was just what she needed, medicine for fever. But then her heart sank as she noted the contents.

"_It...it's spoiled...no use...' _She realized. "Fuck!"

She threw the useless medicine aside, shattering the glass and, with a heavy heart, turned and left the squat, heading for the shelter, her failure weighing heavily on her shoulders.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	24. Day 23: Last Chance

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 23 of my This War of Mine story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Well, here we go.  
Jadey97: Yeah, it's getting desperate now...  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks and yeah.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 23: Last Chance**

Arica entered the shelter, heart heavy and barely able to look at Mara when the young woman looked up hopefully.

"Arica please..." Mara pleaded.

Arica shifted her feet. "I found medicine, but it was spoiled and it was the last one there."

"No..." Mara gasped, eyes filling with tears.

But then Misha's soft voice. "Mara..."

She quickly turned to him and began tending to him again, growing all the more fearful.

"So, what do we do? There's still fighting, intense fighting even with the winter setting in?" Arica asked the others, tears stinging her own eyes.

Roman growled. "We're running out of options...Most of the old places we've been too are blocked by snow or fighting."

"There's...there's still one place." Niko said at last.

All eyes turned to him and he sighed.

"It's a risk, but I'll do it...tonight." He paused and then spoke. "This will...be a dangerous trade. Even if I make it back having successfully made the trade, we'll be a bit more...vulnerable in the shelter."

"What are you talking about?" Roman queried.

Niko sighed. "If anyone will have medicines, that can be approached, to trade for them...it's the rebels at the school."

The others gasped; they hadn't thought of that, it was clear Niko hadn't wanted to consider this option due to the danger it carried, hoping to find some elsewhere first.

But they had no other choice now, it seemed it was their only hope.

"But, what would we even trade with them?" Anton asked.

Niko sighed. "We give them what they need most right now...guns, and ammunition."

Roman started. "You mean, you take all the guns and ammo and give it to them, for medicine?"

"Plus anything else I can convince them to part with...It's a gamble, but it's our last hope." Niko replied.

Roman sighed but reluctantly conceded the point and handed over his pistol and ammo. Niko gathered all the other guns too, ready for that night, he would need them, it was his last desperate gamble to save Misha. Readying himself, Niko approached Mara and paused for a moment, unsure.

"Mara, I..."

She then choked out. "I don't know what I'm gonna do, Niko. He...He's going to..."

Niko shook his head. "We have one last chance Mara, I'm staking everything on this. It'll be dangerous, but...it's our best chance, our best hope. It _has _to work."

She looked up at him, hope shining in her eyes.

"Please Niko, anything, if it will save Misha."

He nodded and readied himself for the night, this would be risky, but if it paid off, Niko knew it would be more than worth it.

* * *

Niko walked cautiously towards the school, he felt the weight of the guns as he carried them, the ammunition all stored in a spare pack. Reaching the doors to the school he saw him. He knew the others were inside, but a lone rebel sat outside the door, their trader Viktor, seeing him Viktor tensed.

"Hold it right there."

Niko stopped and spoke. "I mean you no harm, I've come to trade."

"Certainly carrying a lot of weapons for a trader." Viktor growled.

"They are what I want to trade." Niko replied.

At once Viktor's eyes lit up. "Well, step right up, here's everything I've got, anything take your fancy."

Niko smiled grimly as he saw it, right away, anti-fever medicine, fresh and in perfect condition.

"This." He said, picking up the medicine and handing over the guns as well as the bag. "Ammunition is in that bag, for all the guns."

Viktor laughed. "Excellent, alright, the medicine is yours my friend. For this many guns and ammo, you can take some more stuff?"

Niko smiled at that and agreed, picking up some more supplies and thanked Viktor before leaving, his pack full and most importantly of all, he had the medicine, now he just needed to get back to the shelter and Misha could finally be saved.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	25. Day 24: Renewed

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 24 of my This War of Mine novelization.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Yes, of course.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Jadey97: Yes indeed, well, here we go :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 24: Renewed**

It was a new morning, but Mara didn't really notice, she had once again spent a sleepless night tending to Misha. She continued to kneel by the bed, looking over him sadly. She gently kissed the his forehead and did her best to keep him calm as he writhed. Finally, Misha's eyes fluttered open again and he looked at her, somewhat lucid once more.

"Mara?"

She bit her lip and took his hand. "Yeah sweetheart?"

"I'm sorry." He said suddenly. "I'm so much trouble."

"No sweetheart, you're not trouble at all, how could you say that?" Mara gasped, startled.

Shifting in the bed Misha spoke quietly. "That bad man used me to hurt you and now I'm sick."

Mara's face took on a pained expression as the guilt washed over her, remembering what happened just a few days ago with Eli.

"Misha no, none of this is your fault. I should never have left you alone that day. He didn't hurt me, I just wanted to make sure you were safe." She told him reassuringly.  
"And you can't control being sick. It's ok, I'll take care of you. We'll find some medicine."

Misha managed a weak smile at that and Mara prayed that her words wouldn't be empty, that they would indeed be able to save the poor boy.

Therefore her heart leapt when she heard Arica, who was keeping watch at the window, call out.

"Niko's back."

Mara squeezed Misha's hand, giving him a comforting smile and felt hope filling her, hoping beyond hope that Niko had succeeded and brought medicine.

"Made it..." Niko gasped as he entered. He then smiled. "Got lucky."

With that he handed over his pack with his supplies to Arica and then held out the medicine for Mara to see.

"Niko...oh, thank you!" Mara cried, relief flooding her as she started tearing up with happiness."

"It's no trouble." Niko replied.

Acting quickly they gave the medicine to Misha who made a face at the awful taste, but swallowed it down without complaint.

"You'll start feeling better in no time." Mara said softly.

Misha smiled. "Thank you."

The others watched, Niko smiled softly and then sighed.

"Now, Mara..." He began.

"Hmm?" She replied.

She was slowly caressing Misha's hair comfortingly, but her sleepless nights were telling on her, her eyes were drooping and she was struggling to even hold her head up.

Niko shook his head. "You need to rest."

Mara opened her mouth to protest, but stopped, knowing he was right. "I'm just afraid to leave him alone."

Arica then stepped up. "I'll watch Misha, don't worry, you can take my bed."

Mara nodded, feeling relieved and turned to Misha, giving him another kiss on the forehead. "Get some rest for me too."

Misha nodded, smiling and closed his eyes while Mara heading off to get some sleep.

So while Mara and Misha slept and Arica kept an eye on Misha, Niko, Anton and Roman worked on making sure the shelter was safe again, that they had plenty of heat and everything was set up where they could get it quickly. They had some food left so they could make use of that. During a lull, Niko approached Arica and knelt down next to her.

"How's Misha?"

Arica smiled. "Sleeping still, but his breathing's easier, I think we'll start seeing improvement in his condition by tomorrow."

"That's good." Niko replied; he paused for a moment and then spoke again. "Arica I...about us..."

"I know, I know, it's...it's crazy, what happened." Arica replied. "I'm sorry I got so, caught up in things and, nearly ruined it for us."

"No, you didn't, we both struggled, but what's important is we recognize that and deal with it." Niko replied. "I know you're afraid because of your past, but your past doesn't define your entire character. After this war, we don't worry about our past, we look to the future."

"I just, I was always sure you were too good for me, but you're saying despite that you and I should still..." Arica replied; hesitant.

Niko nodded and both smiled before sharing a tender kiss, already feeling closer than ever. The rest of the day passed peacefully and, that night, nobody went out scavenging as they all felt the need to rest and so the night was passed, with everybody sleeping, hope filling their hearts yet again that they would make it through this war.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	26. Day 25: Frayed Tempers

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 25 of my This War of Mine story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Well, here we go :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Jadey97: Yeah, but things still aren't all well of course :)  
**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 25: Frayed Tempers**

Waking up to yet another day in the warzone, the survivors at least had a welcome sight. Although certainly not completely recovered, Misha was well enough to leave bed and was smiling again, Mara was certainly glad of this.

"So, what are we going to do?" Anton queried. "We're still trying to keep this place warm, but it still seems to be getting colder."

Niko sighed. "We better check the radio, see what it says."

The others nodded and they all gathered around the radio as Niko tuned it and they began listening to Weather FM first.

"Winter hold us firmly in its icy grip. Many people froze to death in recent days. The only upside is the decrease in crime, as even the bandits huddle in their home. We are also expecting a sudden blizzard to hit Pogoren during the night."

They all shared a worried look.

Arica shook her head. "Great, just what we need, if it gets any worse we won't be able to scavenge, most places will be blocked by snow."

They thought about that, worrying about what that would mean, especially for their supplies of all kinds.

"Let's, let's see what else is happening..." Niko suggested.

As such he retuned the radio to Radio One and they listened to the latest reports from the war.

They listened anxiously as the radio announcer spoke.

"We have received word that International Peacekeepers have arrived in Graznavia. They have announced their intents to end the war and negotiate a ceasefire between rebel and government forces." He stated. "However President Groznav has reportedly refused to meet with them, stating that this is not a matter for the international communities to get involved in and the war will be over soon."

Roman rolled his eyes. "Meaning the fascist is refusing to accept peace unless it gives him everything he wants and anyone who dares question him is put to death, as always."

The news announcer continued. "As a result of these issues there are concerns, mainly amongst the less hard-line leaders of the government and rebel forces that things will not end soon and with tensions within the very government on the rise following President Groznav's statement, it is believed-"

But then there was a burst of static, garbled speech and then silence.

"What, no?" Niko gasped.

The others froze, eyes wide, it soon became apparent what had happened and they were filled with dismay. The radio had broke and now they had no means to find out what was happening in the city. Roman took the news harder than any of them, actually cursing and nearly punching a hole through the nearby wall, startling everyone.

It was clear Roman had been hiding a lot of anger and pent up frustration and now it was boiling over.

"Fuck, we...now we don't know..." Roman shook his head. "This, our supplies won't last long and yet we..."

"Roman, please, calm down." Mara said softly.

But Roman just glared. "I hate to say it, but it's because we're using too many of our resources and efforts on the boy, we're putting ourselves at risks and..."

Mara grimaced at this, trying to shield Misha from hearing it, but it was too late.

"Hey, that's uncalled for asshole!" Arica snapped.

Roman glowered at her, but then he realized, looking around, that even Anton was glaring at him, all defending Misha.

Niko stepped forwards. "Alright, Roman, that's enough, we _all _need to stick together, or we will all die."

"We'll all die anyway." Roman snapped.

Niko sighed. "It's not up to you, or me...we all have to decide."

That surprised everybody, even Roman through his anger, even at a time like this, Niko stood as the voice of democracy, trying to make things fair. But even with that, the answer was already clear, Roman knew he was outvoted, everybody else opting to continue as they were, caring for Misha. Finally he sighed and calmed down, shaking his head.

"Fine, fine..." He muttered. "I'm going for a smoke...urgh..."

He had just realized at that moment he was out of cigarettes. Seeing this Arica stepped up and handed four over.

"Here take mine." She offered and then, in response to their surprised looks, smiled. "I...I've just quit."

The others smiled at that and a short while later, Mara did her best to reassure Misha he wasn't a burden and tried to take his mind off things, using the books they had found on scavenging trips, to try and continue his education.

* * *

That night, Roman scavenged for what would likely be the last time until the snow cleared up. He returned to the decrepit squat that Arica had searched earlier for medicines. As he searched, looking for any useful supplies left, he sighed.

'_I just lost my temper, I didn't...I shouldn't have said the things I did.' _He thought sadly. _'I should, if there is only something I could do, to...well...'_

Roman paused as he noted the materials he had just found. He smiled lightly, he knew they could be put to use to make a toy for Misha, something he could try and offer as a peace offering. Smiling hopefully, he finished gathering supplies and made his way back to the shelter, ready for the upcoming blizzard and the dangers still to come.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.

As a side note, due to the events that will follow, this chapter will be the last one to show a scavenging trip.


	27. Day 26: Shortage

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 26 of my This War of Mine story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Yeah, that might be complicated, as this chapter shoes.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Jadey97: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, yeah, he is :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 26: Shortage**

It was the start of another day, the twenty-sixth day since the first survivors found each other. As they got up they became aware of it being even colder, looking out the window they saw the snow had indeed got worse, a blizzard had struck in the night and the snow was now thick on the ground.

"We're not gonna manage to get out in that." Roman muttered. "Guess we're stuck, unable to scavenge."

As he said that, they quickly got to work, making sure the heaters were in use and they had plenty of spare fuel for them. It was then Niko came back to them, looking worried.

He sighed. "We have...a real issue now...our food supplies are low."

"How much do we have? Is it...enough to get us through for a while?" Mara asked frantically.

Niko shook his head sadly. "No...it won't even last today...and there isn't enough for everyone, there are six of us...and only enough food for five of us to have today's meal."

The words hit them hard as they realized the enormity of his words, they were down to their last food supplies, with no means of getting more and at least one of them would have to go hungry. Mara considered for a moment before swallowing nervously.

She then nodded. "I'll go without then."

"You…?" Arica gasped.

Roman and Anton said nothing but looked at her, shocked.

Misha's eyes widened and he grabbed her arm.

"Mara..."

She shook her head and forced a smile.

"I'll be ok really. I have a bit of strength left to make it through." She turned to Misha. "Go on, you can have mine, it's ok."

Misha bit his lip, unsure

"Mara, you're sure of this?" Niko asked seriously.

Mara paused for a moment, before looking at Misha, her hesitation over the act left her once she did.

She smiled lightly. "Yes, I'm sure. I haven't been hurt, or sick, I've been getting good sleep. I'll be ok."

The others reluctantly agreed and so they began to prepare that day's meal. Soon they sat, eating, while Mara just sat. Trying to find some means of distraction after they'd finished eating, Anton and Roman decided to share the final parts of their stories.

Roman spoke first, head bowed. "After that, I couldn't look my people in the face. I wanted to kill them, or kill myself, or blow up the whole compound, I ended up just running away one night. I have no idea what I'll say if I ever meet them. I don't know if I was too weak, or if they were."

The others listened and were startled, it was clear just how hard things had been for all of them.

" After the destruction of the university, we ran and hid. We lived in basements for endless months. We crawled through dark passages and hunted vermin to delay starvation. I saw my pupils go mad from fear, lack of hope, and deprivation. We huddled together in cellars like worms under a stone, listening to the roar of explosions, waiting for merciful death." Anton explained, startling them further.

They all shared an uneasy look, wondering how they'd continue to survive, meanwhile Misha was at least getting some peace from their difficulties, having used the stuff Roman brought back to make a toy ball and playing with it, managing to still be a kid in the midst of the war, much to Mara's relief.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	28. Day 27: Desperation

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 27 of my This War of Mine novelization, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Oh yes and well, things don't look to be getting any better.  
Jadey97: Thanks and yeah, thankfully he can still be a kid in this hard time.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 27: Desperation**

Waking up to yet another day, the survivors faced the grim task of knowing they were stuck within their shelter. This left them even more worried about their survival than usual due to a number of small issues which caused them even greater concern than before. They had no food and worse, no water.

Thanks to the snow the rainwater collector would not work and they had run out of filters, so they couldn't safely melt down the snow to get water from that. Their radio was broken and needed a replacement electrical part to fix it which they did not have. About the only thing they did have plenty of was the one thing that was currently keeping them alive despite the cold.

Fuel.

Working to keep the shelter warm the group sat around the largest of the heaters they had built, doing their utmost to stick together.

"We'll get through this, together, we have to." Anton said softly.

Roman nodded. "I hope you're right old man, for all our sakes."

They faced a truly difficult task, trying to survive the cold and their current shortages. Their main consolation was that they at least did not have to worry about being attacked at night. The raids had stopped, mainly as even the bandits weren't willing to brave the snow and cold to try and rob people. Small comfort though it was in their current situation.

Trying to take their minds of their current issues, Anton remembering happy moments from his past, some of his favourite students and the successful lives they had gone on to lead. Meanwhile Roman called upon the memories of the good times he had spent with his friends before everything went to shit.

The strength those memories provided for both of them kept them going, encouraged them to keep trying to survive. Meanwhile, Arica found herself seated on Niko's lap. They held each other close and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Niko, I...I don't know what's going to happen to us." Arica said softly. "But no matter what, I want you to know, you've made me happier than I've ever been in my life."

Niko smiled softly too. "I...I love you Arica, you made me the happiest I've ever felt. But we will make it through this, as long as we have each other."

They kissed softly, drawing strength from their love for each other in the face of the adversity they suffered. Mara meanwhile drew her strength from her maternal affection for Misha, while Misha found her motherly warmth comforting and inspiring. Right now they sat, Mara continuing Misha's education again.

"There we go, you've got it." She said as he finished a problem he had been struggling with.

Misha smiled. "Yeah...Thanks."

She smiled and gently hugged him, knowing that if he hadn't been wearing his hunting hat, she would have ruffled his hair. They faced difficulty just now, but they just had to endure it, together.

It was in the depths of the night however, that they faced the dark thoughts, unable to fully keep them away. They slept poorly that night, tossing and turning, concerned about their future, fearful of what tomorrow would bring and how they would last another night, after all drawing strength from each other would only get them so far. Without food or water, they were doomed.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	29. Day 28: Saviour

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 28 of my This War of Mine story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Jadey97: Thanks, well, here we go.  
Boris Yeltsin: Sadly yes, but well...  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 28: Saviour**

The start of a new morning, stuck with no food and water and facing yet more snow, was met with weary acceptance by the group. They still endeavoured to survive, to carry on. But it wasn't easy to keep their spirits up, when they knew that today would likely be the same as the previous one.

"C'mon, let's...let's get warming the place up." Roman remarked softly.

The others nodded and wearily set about their task; praying and hoping for a miracle to save them. They had struggled long and hard, endured much and now it seemed they were doomed to a death of starvation or dehydration. Those worrying thoughts however vanished from their minds as they finished setting up the heaters as suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Who the hell could that be?" Roman wondered.

Niko shook his head. "No idea, but...we'll see, be careful."

So they approached the door, the last of their weapons, knives, a shovel and a crowbar, in hand. Opening it Niko gasped, the others started with wide eyes while Misha, who had been asked to stay back and hide if necessary, slowly made his way forwards, confused.

"Glad to see you're still alive, ready to do business?" The familiar man at the door asked.

Niko could barely believe his eyes. "Franko?"

The trader grinned and in that moment, to the survivors, he was literally their saviour.

For as he showed them his goods, they saw he had the very things they needed.

"Franko, you...you've saved all our lives." Niko remarked.

Franko nodded. "Yeah, I suspected you guys were having trouble when I didn't see you for a few days. Now listen, I can't cut any breaks, I need to survive too so..."

Mara spoke quickly. "Franko please, we need food, water...spare food, stuff like that..."

"And an electrical part for repairing our radio." Anton added.

Franko sighed. "You guys are desperate, that's understandable, but like I said, I gotta survive too, so...we'll have to meet in the middle somewhere."

"Alright, well, for starters...guys, we've gotta do it." Niko said.

Once again Roman was the most reluctant but agreed and so they parted with their weapons, offering them all to Franko, along with some of their gathered fuel supplies. In return they got their electrical part, along with food and water and so, bidding farewell to Franko, they headed back inside, their hopes high once again.

"I can't believe it, we...we might have a chance now, I mean, how much longer can the war go on?" Arica remarked.

Anton smiled. "We'll soon see, once we get the radio repaired."

"We're all hungry and tried." Roman interjected. "Let's...wait till tomorrow to fix up the radio, for now...let's eat."

Mara smiled. "I'll get started right away."

The others all smiled and soon they had managed to pull together a small meal for all six of them.

They didn't talk much during the meal, savouring it, while it had only been a couple of days. The thought of what might have happened if Franko hadn't shown up did worry them. Still they enjoyed the food and Mara was especially happy when she noted Misha's happy smile once more. She watched as, after they finished eating and clearing away what they had used, Misha went to play with the ball he had made again. Still smiling as she observed this, she turned her attention back to the others.

"Alright so, I did a quick check, we have six cans of food and six bottles of water left...one for each of us." Niko explained. "We're gonna have to make them last so, we'll leave them for now and...wait and see."

They nodded in agreement and spent the rest of the day in better spirits and that night, they stuck together, trying to stay warm and slept more soundly, much to their relief.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	30. Day 29: Passion Ignites

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 29 of my This War of Mine story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Well, we can only wait and see :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Jadey97: They certainly have, well, let's wait and see.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 29: Passion Ignites**

When the twenty-ninth day dawned, it was with hope for the survivors as they managed to sleep and had ate the previous day.

"Alright, I'll get to work on that radio." Anton remarked calmly.

They nodded and let him get to work. Mara meanwhile turned to Misha.

"C'mon, let's go continue your lessons." She said.

He nodded and smiled. "Yeah."

Watching them go, Arica, Niko and Roman smiled softly, then became serious.

"Okay so, we can't do anything really tonight, but we need to consider our next move, what do we do?"

"We need to hold on, hopefully this winter will end soon enough." Niko remarked.

Arica sighed. "I'd feel better if we knew what was going on and also if we had the means to get supplies from outside again."

They agreed with her but stood thinking for a moment, unsure, until Anton suddenly called them all over. They hurried over to listen and realized he had done it, he had fixed the radio. They listened intently, hoping for some good news.

"Relief should come at last weather wise for the besieged city of Pogoren as the latest outburst of wintery weather is due to pass and thaw within the next two days." The weather station reported.

They all shared a grin at that, hopeful now that it seemed the cold would end soon.

Then they heard a report from Radio One. "Breaking news, President Groznav has been ousted from office having lost his majority support, with the hard-line rebel leaders dead and the hard-line government generals that are not dead now finding themselves under arrest, a real chance for the peacekeeping delegation to end the war has emerged, thanks to the new President Bellic."

"Bellic?" Roman noted. "He wasn't the rebels first choice, but we all respected him as a reasonable compromise candidate...This certainly bodes well for the future."

They all smiled, now feeling more hopeful than ever.

* * *

That night, as the others all slept, Arica approached Niko at his bed.

"Arica?"

She bit her lip and then spoke. "Niko, we...I...I need to ask you something."

"What, what is it?" He asked, startled.

She blushed but kept herself composed. "Will you...sleep with me tonight, as in..."

Niko's eyes widened, he blushed. "Wait are you asking me to..."

"We're at war, anything could happen." Arica said, sounding desperate. "I don't wanna die a virgin, I want you to be my first...This isn't how I wanted it to happen, but...fuck it. I want you."

Niko couldn't help but smiled softly and gently pulled her closer, kissing her.

"I understand." He said, then smiled. "Yes, of course."

Arica smiled at that, relieved. Then her gaze turned sultry and she urged Niko to kiss her again. He did so and she pulled him to her, kissing deeply, he returned the kiss and soon they were lost. At least until his hands began roaming her body and he suddenly stopped, hands just beneath the waistband of her jeans.

"Arica, are you…?" He began, uncertain.

She nodded. "I'm sure Niko, I'm very sure...I'm ready, please..."

He smiled and kissed her. "Gladly."

With that, he wasted no time pulling her jeans down, she quickly helped him, removing her upper layers. Niko's eyes widened now, he still found her so beautiful, even more so now that her simple, non-decorative, plain white bra and panties offered the only coverage now to Arica's bare skin, yet already he could feel his body reacting and he bit back a moan as Arica began undressing him until his black boxers were all that stood between him and nakedness.

Arica quickly finished job for them and soon they were both naked, Arica grinning as she observed him.

"Wow."

Biting his lip Niko smiled. "I...wow, Arica, you..."

He immediately reached towards her, hesitated and, when she nodded, began his exploration. She moaned softly as he touched her her breasts were small, but perfectly formed, crowned with small pink nipples that reacted to his touch immediately. He kissed her again, before trailing kissing down her neck, chest, then her breasts, he teased her nipples with his teeth, earning a moan from her. He worked his way down to her navel and then back up again. Arica's eyes were wide and he was sure he was the same. Both of them were overcome with passion and, apart from briefly making sure they were safe, they began.

"Ready"

She nodded and, as he entered, let out a breathy sigh.

"Oh Gods...Niko..."

A wave of euphoria overcame him as well as he began to build a slow but steady rhythm that gradually got faster until soon they were moving in sync.

Their euphoria lasted long, when they reached their peak and came together, it was like a release for both. They cried out and Arica arched her back, Niko held her close and they silenced each other with another kiss. Niko and Arica knew with certainty then, as they lay, basking in the afterglow, holding each other, that they would remember this moment and enjoy their future together, no matter how long or short it would be.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	31. Day 30: Afterglow

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 30 of my This War of Mine story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks and well, we'll see :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Jadey97: Yes indeed :)  
**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Day 30: Afterglow**

It had been thirty days since the survivors first started coming together in their shelter, that morning, after what happened the previous night, Niko and Arica woke to each other, smiling as they held each other closely.

"Niko, I...last night was..." Arica began.

Niko couldn't help but smile. "I know, I..."

They just smiled wider and kissed, still amazed at having taken the next step on their relationship. Quickly getting dressed they headed to join the others who were just now waking up.

"Morning." Niko said calmly.

Roman nodded. "Morning, well, another day in the snow."

Anton stood. "So, what should we do?"

"Get this place heated up first of course." Arica remarked.

Mara agreed as Misha yawned and rubbed his eyes. They began to work in their shelter, still hemmed in by the winter, keeping what food they now had for as long as possible. They were doing their utmost to keep the place warm using some of the fuel that remained. There was enough to also last the night, but after that, they'd face the next day with just two pieces of wood, six tins of food and six bottles of water. As they worked close together, sharing secret smiles, Niko and Arica were unaware they were seen by Mara who recalls the 'noises' she heard last night.

Approaching the duo Mara smiled knowingly to herself, she was all too aware of what it was she had heard.

Mara then cleared her throat purposefully. "Ahem."

They turned

Niko smiled. "Oh, Mara, hey."

"Sleep well last night?" Mara asked, still with that knowing smile.

Niko quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah, of course."

Arica nodded. "It was...pretty quiet for a change."

"Hmm, funny. I'd say the opposite for me..." Mara said, deciding to cut to the chase. "The walls here are surprisingly thin..."

Arica tensed. "The walls...thin...Oh shit..."

Niko's eyes widened and Arica blushed furiously as they both realized what Mara meant.

Mara giggled slightly. "Don't worry, I'm only teasing you guys. Though you're lucky Misha didn't wake up, he's not ready for that talk yet."

"Yeah, that's...sorry." Niko replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Don't worry about it. And I won't say anything of course, I'm just glad you guys found some happiness during all this." Mara replied, smiling warmly.

They both smiled too, relieved.

"Alright well, um, let's...continue working huh?" Arica suggested.

They nodded and just in time for at that moment Misha arrived.

"What's going on?" He asked, innocent as ever.

Mara smiled softly. "Just, grown up stuff Misha, nothing to worry about. Let's keep this place warm."

Misha nodded and soon they got to work, joining Roman and Anton as they continued their efforts to keep themselves going for yet another day.

* * *

Niko looked around carefully as he finished setting the bed down, having dragged it from it's usual place.

"Alright, I think this is us...this is...this is our best chance." He said.

Roman nodded slowly. "We'll make it work, don't worry."

They had finished gathering all the beds together in the same room, close to each other, they had done the same with the heaters and set up the remaining fuel.

"Alright then, we'll get these lit and then we can go to bed." Mara said.

Nodding they got to work doing just that. So it was that night they all slept together, with the heaters heating the room and their closeness allowing for shared body to stay as warm as possible as they drifted off to sleep, the night setting in and bringing the thirtieth day of the war to a close at last.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	32. Peace at Last

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Chapter 31 of my This War of Mine story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: My friend, you could not be more...mistaken :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Peace at Last**

Getting out of bed that day, the group gathered, Anton smiled as he then revealed.

"I happened to look out the window, we've got lucky, the snow is thawing and we can finally get moving again." He said.

The others smiled and Roman spoke. "Good, because once we have those cans of food, there's only a bottle of water each and two bits of wood in this place, we've used everything else."

Mara sighed. "Well, we're about to use the food, we need to eat, we can't wait any longer."

"I agree, let's eat." Niko said.

They all agreed and got the tins of food. They began to eat, the food inside was edible cold albeit not the most tasty, but they could make do. After everything they had endured so far, food that didn't taste good was a small thing.

"So, um, what are we going to do next, I mean…?" Arica began, unsure.

They all paused to consider, what could their plans be, especially after everything they'd already endured and done. Then with one innocent question, Misha changed everything.

"Why is it so quiet?"

The others started, realizing he was right. They had grown so accustomed to the sound of the gunfire and shelling that they hadn't realized what Misha had. It had stopped, there was no sound. The guns had stopped. Running to the radio Niko turned it on and tuned it to the Radio One station.

They all gathered around, listening intently as the radio spoke.

"Welcome news today as the Graznavian civil war has been brought to a ceasefire. International peacekeepers have successfully negotiated an end to the war with plans in motion to try and accommodate both sides wishes and purposes. Of particular note the siege of the capital, Pogoren, has finally ended and refugee centres have been set up around the city to aid the surviving civilians still within the city. We are sending out word in the hopes of reaching those people to tell them that it's finally safe for them to leave the city. Any who hear this message also please pass it on to others within the city, the war is over."

They all stood in disbelief, sharing incredulous looks. It was over, they could leave, finally. They wasted no time and grabbed the water bottles, opting to leave everything else and so they left the shelter and began making their way through the war torn but now quiet streets. They occasionally drank from their water bottles.

Arica and Niko were in the lead, hands linked, Anton followed behind them with Mara holding Misha close as they came right behind him. Roman brought up the rear. They were still amazed at everything they had just heard. They could see more and more people emerging from the ruined buildings, other survivors.

When they finally reached the borders of the city they saw the nearest refugee centre and they finally felt the reality of their situation and relief filled them, the war was over, they were safe.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	33. Epilogue

**This War of Mine: A Survivors Tale**

Final chapter of my This War of Mine story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Correct, just this Epilogue to go and yeah :)  
Jadey97: Yup and here we go :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)**

Now onto the story. Basically the idea for this chapter was to frame it as a reporter who had interviewed the survivors and wrote the whole story as a book on their experiences.

Disclaimer: I don't own This War of Mine or its characters.

* * *

**Epilogue**

So ends the tale of those six survivors, a tale finally told and revealed, showing the hardships and resilience of civilians trapped by war and the dangers they faced. A tale of the strength of the human spirit, it only remains now to state what happened to each survivor after they left the city. Especially as we now stand at the memorial for the war, on the fifth anniversary of the war's end and it was through interviews with those six survivors that I was able to write down the story.

Niko and Arica got married two years after the war's end and the year after that, had their first child. A son they named Jonas. Also, during the meeting with them at the five year anniversary, it was revealed that Arica was expecting their second child. They had settled into a comfortable life, with Niko finally becoming an accomplished photographer and Arica reformed her criminal ways.

As for Anton. While war left deep marks on Anton's character, he returned to teaching with new found determination. And while too old for the Fields Medal, he's still eligible for the equally prestigious Abel Prize.

Roman and Mara meanwhile also found love together and were married after the war, with Roman also managing to find and reconcile with his old friends and Mara successfully becoming a teacher as she had dreamed of. They are also expecting a child now, due any day as Mara was nearing the end of her pregnancy at the event.

Unfortunately for Misha, leaving the city confirmed his worst fears, he found Daniel, wounded but alive and with the sad news that Misha's parents were dead. Thankfully he was adopted by Mara and Roman and managed to eventually recover, their family unit growing after they adopted a new dog for Misha from a rescue shelter, named Beau. Now fifteen Misha was an energetic teenager and looking forward to becoming a big brother, hoping for a baby sister.

The war had left it's mark on all of them, but they had endured and found their happiness and a future. Such was their strength and the closeness of their bonds that they lived. Live to tell this tale.

* * *

End of chapter and of story, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


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